Paired
by lamentomori
Summary: Omegas are expected to form a pair with an alpha, but as a single parent Phil's already a pair with his son. As a single parent, his life is nothing but work and worry, although love is trying to worm it's way in. Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk) (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), (John Cena/Colt Cabana), (Big E/Kofi Kingston), Smut, Profanity, Fluff.
1. Chapter 1

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk)._

* * *

Two jobs. One during the day, one at night. Any other work when he can find it. The help of friends for babysitting after school, sometimes over night too. Welfare where he can, when he has time to fill out the forms, and face the humiliation. Thankfully it's been a long time since they were in a shelter, or relying on a food bank, but all it'd take is one late check, one late payment on one of the _many_ bills, and everything would collapse again.

When Phil was young, still in high school he'd fallen in love with the alpha he thought was his mate. A whirlwind romance that had made promises of a life far from the mess he'd been born into. Omegas position and rights are changing for the better, but when Phil had been growing up being an omega wasn't exactly something to be proud of. His parents already hadn't exactly been delighted. They'd wanted alphas, and even one omega wasn't something they were pleased with. Jeff had come like a bolt of lightning into Phil's world. He as exotic, dramatic, and exciting. A guitar player in a band, at the time, Jeff had seduced young Phil so easily. He made promises of freedom, and adventure. He promised a whole world beyond the bleak little suburb Phil lived in. At the time, Phil had thought he was bonded. He'd truly thought he was one of the lucky ones who met their mate early, and got to live the dream. They'd gotten married in the spring. A beautiful wedding down in Jeff's home state. They'd moved down there as soon as Phil turned sixteen, dropping out of high school, convinced that love would be enough to survive on. Phil wound up working in the town diner, and Jeff took a job working in a local bar to supplement the small income his band made touring. For a while it was wonderful. Jeff would go on tour with his band, but he'd always take Phil with him when he could. He'd be so proud to show Phil off, and Phil was so enamoured with the world he'd fallen into that he didn't think about how uncomfortable it made him to be shown off like a prize.

It started, as these things often do, small. Jeff would have a beer, and then be loud and hilarious for a few hours, or he'd have a joint, and then be mellow and sweet for a few hours. Things progressed though. From cannabis Jeff upgraded. He went up the list of narcotics, trying each one he encountered. Cocaine became his favourite though. He'd become so confident on it, his sweet nature hidden behind chemical bravado. He'd be so different on coke, that Phil would feel like he was with a different alpha. It'd taken around three months of Jeff using coke on the road regularly for Phil to stop going with him. Three months had been when the _incident_ occurred. That had been the moment Phil had realise that perhaps he'd been wrong, that perhaps Jeff wasn't his mate. He doesn't like thinking about the _incident_ , even now years later it still makes him want to break down.

Phil hadn't wanted to leave Jeff though. His parents had told him he was making a mistake getting married so young. His brother and friends had all said the same thing, and Phil wanted to prove them wrong. He'd been young when he'd gotten married, but he'd married the right alpha. They were going to be happy, and the best way to be happy was to have a baby. The cocaine made Jeff crave sex in a way alcohol or cannabis never did. When he was home Phil would be lucky to stay dressed for more than five minutes, so getting pregnant hadn't been too difficult. Jeff was never really around, so when he noticed Phil was expecting a baby it was too late for an abortion, but that wouldn't have been on the cards as Jeff had been ecstatic at the news. He managed, for a few years at least, to pull himself together. He got a steady job, and for the first three years of young Seth's life Jeff had been a wonderful father.

Around Seth's third birthday Jeff fell apart once more. This time the breakdown was different. Drugs again played their part, but this time Jeff was tied down to a job. He couldn't go roaming the country to satiate his desires. For nearly two years Phil endured. On good days, Jeff was the best alpha Phil could hope for, but on the bad days Phil feared for his life. Three days after Seth's fifth birthday, and two after Jeff had beaten Phil unconscious, the police knocked on the door to their trailer. They'd come with a search warrant. Phil had collected Seth to him, and made his decision as an officer escorted them to a cruiser bound for the police station. Phil was interviewed, and released on the basis he knew nothing about what Jeff had gotten himself into.

That was all ten years, and a lifetime ago now. Seth's fifteenth birthday is coming up soon. It's debateable whether fifteen is a _big_ birthday, but for Phil it feels like a landmark. He'd been fifteen when he'd met Jeff. At fifteen his whole life had started on down the path he's been trying to walk back up since. He would change so many things if he could, but there's one he'd never change. His son is the best thing anyone has ever given him. Seth is smart, quick-witted, and independent. He's the combination of all the best traits of Jeff and Phil, though Phil will admit that his son has many of his terrible personality traits. Seth like his papa is stubborn, quick to anger, sarcastic, and fond of bearing grudges. Phil doesn't want to think about Seth having any of Jeff's many bad personality traits so he doesn't look for them. He worries about it, but there's nothing he can do, so all he does is worry.

"Papa, you look terrible." Seth's a morning person. Infuriatingly a morning person. Phil's no idea if he is or isn't. It doesn't matter what time of day it is, he's always tired. Two jobs, and a teenaged omega that's going through the phase of not wanting to take his heat suppressants because of the _chemicals_ is exhausting. Worry and work that is what Phil's life has become.

"What you want for breakfast, kiddo?" Phil usually ignores Seth's snide comments, if he doesn't they'll end up fighting. It had been worse last year when they were in a smaller apartment with only one bedroom. It'd been hard living in that grim little place, but thankfully Phil had managed to save enough to put a deposit down on their current apartment, one with two bedrooms and an actual kitchen instead of a hot plate in a corner beside a fridge that buzzed like a swarm of angry bees. He rather misses the old fridge, at least then he had an excuse for why he wasn't sleeping when Seth asked. Now he says it's because of work. Seth doesn't need to know how much his papa worries.

"Sit down. I made eggs." Seth nudges one of the two chairs at the table with his foot. Phil shakes his head and makes a quick cup of coffee. Eventually he takes a seat, drinking his coffee as quickly as he can.

"You're growing up so fast." Seth looks at him and Phil shakes his head. He is growing up fast, far too fast, and Phil's worried that he's done a terrible job of raising him. He's tried his best, but he can't say for sure that he's been a good papa. There have been so many times over the years where Seth's complained that he's a freak because he doesn't have two parents. All his friends' parents have their mates, all the alphas and all the omegas nicely paired up, raising their children without problems, and then there's Seth. Seth moving from crumby apartment to crumby apartment, with only his single omega papa, who's working two jobs to keep them housed and fed. Seth who's been denied the luxuries of his friends because his papa can't provide them. Phil sighs, and scrubs at his eyes. Seth's hand rubs over his hair once, dragging Phil's attention from his thoughts.

"Eat your eggs, papa." Seth smiles slightly as he sets a plate of food down on the table. "So... My birthday's coming up."

"Uh-huh." Phil's mechanically shovelling food into his mouth, trying to avoid thinking about anything but spending a quiet moment with his son. It's so rare he gets a chance to spend any time with Seth these days. He's either working overtime to pay for the more expensive things Seth wants, or Seth himself is off busy having his own life.

"And I was thinking about what I want. Before you say anything, I know money's tight. It's _always_ tight. If only you'd stayed with dad." Seth hisses that last part so bitterly. The truth of what happened between Phil and Jeff isn't something Seth knows. He decided long ago that not telling Seth anything would be better than telling him the truth. Phil isn't as hungry as he once was; his stomach is filled with his worries, leaving no room for food.

"Seth, lock the door when you leave for school." Phil pushes away from the table, heading for the door to pull his shoes on. Seth bounces to his feet, following along behind him.

"Papa... I... Maybe if you'd tell me what-"

"We're not having this conversation, not now." Phil cuts in, forcing a smile to his face. The last thing he wants to do is tell Seth anything about his father. It's better for all three of them for there to be no contact. Jeff has made it abundantly clear that he doesn't care about his son. He's married to another omega, and they have their own family to worry about. Long ago Jeff legally signed his way out of Seth's life, and in Phil's opinion that's the best thing Jeff could have done for him. "I'm going to be late for work."

"Will you back for dinner?" Seth sounds hopeful, but Phil shakes his head. The cleaning company, which makes up his second job, has him going to a different office building on the other side of the city tonight, so he won't have time to stop in at home for something to eat.

"Head to your Uncle Colt's, he'll be happy to see you." Phil pulls his son into a hug, and presses a kiss to his hair. "I'll be back late tonight, so-"

"Lock the door. I know the drill, papa." Seth squirms, glowering up at Phil. His ire falls away quickly though. He looks painfully guilty for a second. Phil kisses his hair once more, and tries to pull away. "Have a nice day, papa." Seth tightens the hug, his head pressing firmly against Phil's chest. "I might see if Uncle Colt will let me stay over."

"I'll ask him." Phil mutters, his arms wrapped tightly around his son. There are few people he trusts to love his son as much as he does, but the goofball omega he met when he came back to Chicago is one of them. "Have a fun at school." Seth rolls his eyes when Phil steps away from him.

"I can hear the lecture in your head. Get to work before they fire you." Seth laughs. Phil swats at his ear, purposefully missing. Seth barking another laugh is the last thing Phil hears as he closes their apartment door behind him.

His day job is working in a diner. The kind of place where the owner tries to take a cut of your tips. It's not the sort of work Phil enjoys, but he's done it for so long that he can do it in his sleep. It takes next to no effort to be nice to the customers, and to maximise his potential tip earnings. His regulars know him by name, and he knows their orders without even asking. His diner shift is from 8am to 5pm. It usually affords him an hour or so at home with Seth before he has to get to his second job, but the office block he's cleaning tonight is downtown. With the traffic, and Phil's reliance on public transport it'll take him far longer to get there than the usual office building he cleans.

He makes it to the office building with all of five minutes to spare. The night guard looks at him dismissively, but Phil's used to that. He knows that the old alpha probably thinks he's an immigrant stealing a job from a hard-working American, and almost as bad as that, he's an omega, the scent he emits gives that away. No matter how good suppressants have gotten over the years, there seems to be nothing that can be done to mask the scent of a fertile omega , and omegas should be at home caring for their children.

 _Seth's staying with me tonight? - Colt_

Phil curses under his breath as he reads that message, realising he'd forgotten to ask his friend that particular favour.

 _Do you mind? - sent_

 _Nah, of course not! He's good with the little ones! - Colt_

Colt's little ones are terrors. Not that he actually has any little ones of his own; rather he works in a care home for children. Most of his charges this year are young, under five. Phil avoids going, because seeing all those kids makes him feel broody, and the last thing he needs is to have another kid.

 _Thanks Colt. - sent_

 _Any time! Get some rest tonight! - Colt_

Phil stuffs his phone back in his pocket, and smothers a yawn with his hand. Getting some rest would be the best thing he could do, but it's not likely. He'll finish cleaning this office as quickly as he can, then he'll go home, and worry over how he's going to pay for Seth's birthday present. He's always worried about money. Once he'd worried over Seth's future, his distant future, but he's given up worrying over Seth's college fund. Phil had sat Seth down last year, and explained the depth of their financial problems. It turns out that a single parent omega who didn't even graduate high school can't make enough money to put their kid through college, no matter how hard they work. Phil's worries are more focused on the here and now, on keeping them fed and housed, everything else has to be shunted away as far as it can be.

The offices he's cleaning are vast, taking up three floors of the building, and many of them seem to still be occupied. Phil cleans the open office spaces first. Thankfully many of the closed offices empty out as he works. The people working in them spare him vague glances, dismissing him with nothing more than a look. Finally there's only one office still occupied. The largest office at the back of the top floor. Phil hovers nervously outside of it. There are voices drifting out from behind the closed door. One loud and animated, the other lower and gruffer.

"Well, just don't do anything dumb for a while then, Brock." The door opens, and a rotund alpha in a crisp suit appears. He claps a hand on the shoulder of the alpha who exits the office into the corridor. This alpha is huge. Tall, broad, and intimidating. He looks more out of place in this office building than Phil. He laughs at the fat alpha in a suit, and breezes past Phil without a backward glance. "You're waiting to clean?" The fat alpha is the first person to talk to Phil since he left the diner, and when Phil tries to talk his voice comes out as a vague croak.

"Yeah." He forces a smile to his lips, and the fat alpha nods, heading back inside his office. "Should I clean around you, or would you like me to wait?"

"Shouldn't you be at home?" The fat man's sat down behind his desk, his fingers clattering over his keyboard. Phil sucks his bottom lip into his mouth considering how to answer that question. "A pretty little omega shouldn't be out working so late at night." The fat alpha is still typing, not looking at Phil.

"I..." Phil has no idea how to respond to that. "Do you want me to wait for you to finish?" He asks his question once more hoping for an answer. The fat alpha looks at him thoughtfully.

"Clean around me, then get on home to your family." The fat alpha resumes working. Phil nods vaguely, and leaves the office to go and grab his cleaning supplies. Phil's almost finished cleaning the office when he notices that the sound of typing has stopped. He chances a look over that the fat man. He's rubbing at his eyes, and scowling down at his phone. "Isn't your family harassing you over working so late too?" He laughs suddenly. Phil shakes his head in response. The fat alpha raises an eyebrow, and Phil supposes that there's no harm in actually talking to the fat man.

"My son's staying with his uncle." Phil finishes wiping the last surface down, and loads the cleaning supplies back into their basket.

"Not his father?" The fat alpha asks. Phil sighs, and braces himself for whatever will come next.

"His father is out of the picture." This is usually the moment where people make all kinds of snap judgements about him. He's been called everything from a home-wrecker to a whore depending on what people assume were the circumstances of Seth's birth.

"Ah... I'm in a similar position. Although, I confess I always thought it was easier to be a single omega parent... You hear on the news how you get all the funding." The fat alpha rests his chin in his hand as he looks at Phil.

"I think the funding skipped me over." Phil mutters. "I need to vacuum in here... Do you mind?" The fat alpha shakes his head, and resumes typing, leaving Phil to finish up his work.

"My name is Paul, by the way." The fat alpha calls out as Phil's leaving his office.

"Phil. It was nice to meet you, Paul." Phil hopes he managed to hide how tired he is in that little comment. He's so tired he feels like he could fall asleep right where he's standing.

"C'mon, you know you wanna take this fat knot, baby!" The third catcaller of Phil's walk home is no more creative than the first. The bus stops a few blocks from his apartment, and whilst it's not a long walk, it's plenty of time for asshole alphas to make themselves known. He supposes he should start considering trying to find a place in a nice area. It would require him taking on another job, and his weekends are pretty much free.

"Are the three guys following you friends of yours?" A voice jolts Phil from his thoughts. The scent of an alpha thick in the air beside him suddenly. Phil turns to look at him. Tall, slender though muscular, his hair is slicked back neatly, the colour difficult to pick out in the street lights.

"No..." Phil says softly, and the alpha nods slightly, his arm coming around Phil's shoulders. "Excuse me." He tenses up under the alpha's arm.

"Relax." The alpha laughs. "Lemme be a white knight, okay?" He chuckles again, and flashes a grin at Phil that makes his dimples obvious. Phil nods dumbly, and walks with the alpha. "So, which building is yours?"

"I don't-"

"This one's mine." The alpha gestures to the building Phil lives in.

"Which floor?" Phil asks softly. He's hoping this alpha is just kind hearted and happens to live in the same building, not some crazed stalker.

"Fifth." The alpha answers without question, but with a healthy dose of confusion in his voice. "Why?"

"This is my building... I'm on the fourth floor." Phil glances up at the alpha.

"No way. Coincidence city... I wonder why I've never seen you around." The alpha opens the front door, and trickle of relief fills Phil. He's at least no lying about living in the building. He takes his arm back from around Phil's shoulders once the door's closed behind them. "You know you shouldn't be out walking so late... It's not safe for omegas." Phil nods absently, and starts opening his mail box. He's expecting this alpha to launch into a familiar spiel about how omegas need to take better precautions to ensure their own safety. It never seems to occur to them to tell other alphas not to harass omegas. He's fairly surprised when the alpha says nothing, instead he seems to be collecting his mail from the boxes as well.

"Thank you for your help." Phil's hoping that he can slink away from this alpha without too much more interaction. He's tired, and now that they're indoors Phil realises he's seen this young alpha before. He's got that bad boy vibe that Phil has always had a soft spot for, but Phil has no interest in getting involved with anyone, no matter how much they pique his interest.

"You're welcome." The alpha doesn't look up from reading his mail. Phil takes the opportunity to head over to the elevator. "I'm Dean, and in case you're interested I put my number in your pocket." The alpha looks up at Phil when the elevator dings. Phil's hand dives into his pocket and pulls out a scrap of paper with some numbers written on it. "Any time you want a drink, or someone to walk you home, you gimme a call."

* * *

 _So this one's a little different for me... Please note that warnings will be added as the story proceeds. I don't want to add them all just yet. ;)_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 _Next update - 2016/07/09_


	2. Chapter 2

_Warnings: OmegaVerse (see endnotes for further details), Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Smut, Profanity._

* * *

The amount of times Phil's been alone since Seth was born is something he can count on his hand. The first time was when he'd had to leave him with his paternal grandparents to come up to Chicago for the first time to sign a lease. The whole time they'd been apart Phil had felt gutted. He'd called back a thousand times, to the point that Jeff's father had flown up with Seth just to keep Phil from having an ulcer. Before the divorce Jeff's parents had been supportive, after they'd been disinterested. Now Phil can't remember the last time they showed any interest in Seth.

In Chicago Seth's stayed overnight with Colt a few times, not so many that it's a regular thing, but often enough that it's not uncommon. Still an empty apartment makes Phil uncomfortable. He's not entirely sure what to do with himself. He feels washed out, and slightly violated. The young alpha had helped him out, but he still slipped something into Phil's pocket without him noticing, and he invaded Phil's personal space without permission. He was handsome though, tall, strong, and with the air of slight danger. The sort of alpha Phil finds himself falling for time and time again. Jeff had been the same, and that had ended up being some of worst times in Phil's life.

"Shower." He mutters, repeating over and over to keep his mind off of the alpha, and the situation he'd more than likely saved Phil from. He's been followed a few times, his keys clenched in his fist, nine-one dialled on his phone in the worst situations, but nothing's ever happened. He's always managed to get home and behind a locked door first. He really should start pricing a new apartment in a safer neighbourhood, but the prices are always prohibitive. The bathtub looks incredibly tempting right now. He's got some lavender candles in a drawer somewhere, and some bubblebath left over from his birthday last year. It'd be far more relaxing than getting straight in the shower, and then going to bed. For a moment he debates if he has time for a bath, and shoves the plug in the hole. Time be damned, he needs to unwind. Finding the matches proves a little more difficult, they turn out to have been stashed in the box with the candles, which is probably where Phil put them for safe keeping and then promptly forgot about it. He manages to get them lit and set up by the time the bath's drawn. He strips, and sinks beneath to bubbles to the sound of whatever random music Seth had put on his phone. He probably shouldn't have trusted his son with it, but so far there's nothing overly terrible on there, and it makes a nice change from the lectures Phil listens to when he's commuting. Not graduating high school is a point of shame for him. He hates his lack of formal education, and hates even more that he probably won't be able to afford to give Seth anything but the high school diploma Phil lacks. These thoughts aren't helping him unwind. Instead he can feel the ball of worries in his stomach grow, roiling like the ocean. "Deep breaths." He mutters, his eyes falling closed. "In through your nose, out through your mouth." A breath in, a breath out. Over and over. In and out. His mind strays from the relaxation techniques he'd learned from some random lecture on de-stressing to very different in and out. The feeling of an alpha moving inside of him. Cock moving in and out. The firm press of a knot at his entrance, the way his body would always tighten before letting it press inside him, the feeling of an alpha's cum filling him, the pulse of their knot in time with the desperate pulsing of his heart, the throbbing of his cock aching for a touch. In and out. Over and over. One hand wraps around his cock, his other strokes over the entrance to his vagina, teasing over the folds before sliding inside. He feels wet, his natural lubrication thicker than the water that rushing inside along with his finger. In and out. Over and over. His moves faster along his cock as another finger drives inside of him stretching him open more. His hole feels hungry, desperate to be filled by an alpha. Groaning Phil opens his eyes and casts about the bathroom for something to simulate an alpha's penis. Bottle after bottle passed over as too big, or too small. He curses himself for not thinking to take his well hidden dildo with him. His hand around his cock slows down, squeezing lightly as he considers the available objects again. He should just pull the plug, shower and go to bed, but now that he's started this, he wants to get off. He pulls his fingers free from inside of him, and shakes them under the water to wash his juices from them before grabbing the bubblebath bottle. Smooth, cylindrical, a little short and a little thin, but it'll do. He rinses it in the bath water for a moment, and makes sure that the cap is on tightly. Then he presses it against his pussy. The blunt, flat end stings a little as it presses into him, but he's more than wet enough to accept it. The feeling of something inside of him, even something so unsuited to the purpose is satisfying. His head falls back against the bathtub's lip with a moan. He takes hold of his cock once more, stroking it in time with his makeshift dildo's movements. He desperately wishes there was a knot at the end of the bottle, or even something to emulate the satisfying feeling of a knot being pushed inside of him, but there nothing. So Phil relies on his imagination, and when that's not enough he slides a couple of fingers in along with the bottle. He's long since given up moving the bottle, instead leaving it buried inside of himself as he strokes his cock faster and faster. His mind is summoning up the memories of an alpha over him, the feeling of a stronger, bigger body pinning him down, and driving their cock deep into him, his own cock rubbing against their belly, or better yet their large, rough hand wrapping around it. The feeling of an alpha's hand on his cock is the second best sexual sensation in the world. It's dwarfed by the feeling of an alpha's cum filling him. The feeling of that thick seed being pumped deep into him, filling every inch of his pussy, leaving him so full that he half expects that when he orgasms he'll be able to shoot the alpha's cum out of his own cock. His breathing is fast, almost laboured as his orgasm approaches. He slides a third finger into his pussy, his breath catching at the feeling of being so stretched, and the hand on his cock speeds up. When he comes it feels like it takes forever, his body clamping down on the bottle tightly, his pussy fluttering around his fingers. His cock twitches, his body shivers, and low moans slips from between his lips. Minutes pass in a comfortable daze. The scattering of mildew on the ceiling captivating Phil's attention whilst he pulls himself back together. His phone chirps with a text message, and it snaps him into action. He removes the bottle, and rinses it in the bath water once more. The bottle is mostly empty, so he doesn't feel too bad as he tosses it into the trash.

Sleep comes to Phil with unexpected ease. His mind refuses to churn over his concerns; instead it's sated by the release he'd taken in the bath. If he dreams, he doesn't remember it in the morning as he hurriedly gets dressed, and walks to Colt's work to collect Seth. He knows that Seth will have forgotten his suppressants, and it's not a good idea for him to skip a dose. It might not make too much difference in the long run, but he needs to get into the habit as soon as possible.

"Morning Punkers." Phil feels awkward shuffling into the care home. He can feel the kids staring at him with confused, wide, adorable eyes. His soft spot for children is one he has to stamp down keenly in this situation.

"Papa?" Is all the warning Phil gets before his son launches himself at him.

"Morning kiddo." Phil squeezes his son tightly, and holds him out at arm's length. "You forgot your medicine." Phil presses the little foil packet into Seth's hand.

"Papa!" Seth squawks in embarrassment, his cheeks blazing. "You know I don't want to take these... I don't want my body polluted-"

"Seth." Phil looks at his son heavily. Colt glances over at them from trying to persuade the littlest of the little ones that oatmeal is a delicious breakfast. _Aeroplanes_ Phil mouths, and Colt rolls his eyes with a grin. The little boy is four, aeroplanes might be too childish for him, and they definitely are for Seth, but if it'd get him to take his suppressants Phil would try it. "Please just take them... We can't afford for-"

" _Papa_!" Seth squawks once more. He pops one of the pills out, and holds it between his teeth whilst he pours a glass of water to swallow it. "Yeuch... Those things taste awful."

"Medicine always tastes bad... My ma always gave me a sweetie afterwards." The oldest of the little boys currently in Colt's care says suddenly. "Doesn't your Pa have a sweetie for you?" Seth pulls an odd face, and then turns to Phil, a smile spreading over his lips.

"You ready to go?" Phil asks him. Seth nods, confusion spreading over his face. "Okay. We can get breakfast at the diner."

"You've no eaten yet, Papa?" Seth says chastising his papa, and Phil shoos him off to go and fetch his things.

"He wasn't any trouble was he?" Phil absently starts pouring the middle of the three children another glass of juice, falling into the role of Papa without even thinking.

"Sethie is never any trouble." Colt laughs, and lets the youngest of the three children take over on feeding himself. "When's your lunch-break? I need to bit-complain today." Colt catches himself before swearing, but a quick glance at the oldest boy confirms that he knows exactly what Colt was going say.

"Uh... It's Wednesday, right?" Colt nods confirming Phil's question. "I'm on early lunch... So eleven. I'll make sure to keep a slice of your favourite pie." Phil smiles at Colt as Seth returns. "We good to go? Say thank you-"

"I know, Papa... You'd think you'd done a horrible job at raising me or something." Seth laughs, and walks over to his uncle. "Thanks Uncle Colt. Lemme know if they'll need my help again." At this Phil scowls over at Colt. Very often Seth's _uncle_ pays him for _work_ and every time Phil's pride is stung by it.

"Of course. Nattie said she'd be happy to consider hiring you for her weekend classes if it's alright with your papa... I'll talk to him." Colt winks at Seth, and Phil exchanges a look with him that says this will be spoken about. "I'll see you at eleven sharp, Punkers."

"Eleven. Bye-bye little ones!" Phil ways to the little children as Seth all but pushes him out of the door.

The walk to the diner isn't far, but it is through a fairly unpleasant neighbourhood. Seth unconsciously is walking almost too close to Phil. Phil's parental instincts are screaming at him to hold Seth's hand, but he knows that his son wouldn't appreciate that at all, so Phil makes sure they're walking quickly. Once they're in the diner everything will be fine, and Seth can catch the school bus at the stop opposite, so he'll be safe.

"So who's Nattie?" Phil takes a sip of his coffee, watching Seth demolish his breakfast. "You seem awfully hungry... You've not been skipping-"

"I've been taking my pills, Papa. I'm not carb loading. Sheesh..." Seth grins up at Phil. "I'm hungry because I'm a teenager... If I keep growing at this rate I'll be taller than you."

"I forbid you from being taller than your Papa!" Phil laughs, sipping from his coffee once more. "So-"

"She runs the kindergarten Colt takes the littlest of his kids to, and like, she's super nice, and she says I'm super good with the kids. I went to get little Noam last night cause Colt was busy with the other two, and she was like rushing trying to get all the kids ready for their parents, so I like pulled out one of the books, and started reading to all the kids who were ready, and they all sat down nice for me, and listened, and it was adorable Papa! Nattie said I was a natural, and I told her it was because I'd learned from the best." Seth speaks almost without pause, his face lit up with excitement. "I'd _super_ love to work for her." He looks incredibly hopeful, and Phil nods without thinking. "Really?"

"Yeah." Phil croaks out. He feels incredibly proud of his son in this moment, but for no real reason other than Seth is wonderful person. There's a part of Phil that's almost in awe of how well his son's turned out. "I'm real proud of you, kiddo." Phil reaches over the table and squeezes his son's hand. "I'll be back late again tonight." He sighs, and Seth nods sullenly. " _But_ I've taken your birthday off, and well it's the weekend this year-"

"I already know exactly what I'm doing for most of it." Seth grins. "My friend Xavier's invited me over to his place to play games. His parents are real nice. You'll come too right, Papa?"

"Sure." Phil nods absently, not really certain why Seth is so keen for Phil to come, but not arguing in the least. He's meet Xavier before. He's a quiet, incredibly smart nerd of an omega. He's exactly the sort of friend Seth needs. He's never met Xavier's parents, but he's heard enough about them from Seth to be slightly interested. "That's your plan for the whole day?"

"Papa, you clearly do not understand the importance of gaming." Seth waves Phil's question off. A nervous smile spreads over Seth's lips suddenly. "I suppose I should tell you what I want, huh?"

"It'd be nice, kiddo." Phil nods, draining the last of his coffee.

"I want self-defence lessons." Seth polishes off the last of his breakfast, and pushes the plate away slightly. Phil's waitress instincts almost kick in, but the omega on duty beats him to it.

"Self-defence?" Phil repeats dumbly. Seth nods sharply, and Phil takes a deep breath. It's a very sensible present request, but he can't help but think that it would somehow put Seth in more danger. Being trained to defend himself might just make alphas keener to test the limits of that training. "I'll look into it. Is there anything-"

"This is what I want, Papa." Seth says it firmly, and Phil nods once more. Seth asks for things, but not big things, and not often. Phil can't really think of a good reason to deny him this gift. He can only hope to find somewhere close by, and cheap whilst still good.

"I'll do my best, but it's kind of short notice." Phil laughs, and Seth blushes slightly.

"I know, but you've seemed so stressed lately I didn't want to bring it up before you did." Seth has unfortunately mastered Phil's ability to _look at people._ His big brown eyes melt Phil so quickly it's embarrassing.

"I'm okay, kiddo. I promise." Phil answers the unspoken concern. Seth raises an eyebrow at him, and shakes his head.

"I gotta get my butt to school." Seth stands, and pulls Phil into a hug. "I'll lock the door, and have something ready for when you're home."

"I'll be back around ten-thirty. Have a good day at school, kiddo." Phil hugs his son tightly, and presses a quick kiss to his temple. Then he turns to start his shift.

"So! I said I needed to bitch, and boy do I!" Colt had shown up at eleven sharp. Phil had already set aside a slice of Colt's favourite pecan pie, so before too long he'd joined his friend at what was their table, in the back furthest from the toilets, to listen to him complain.

"What's up?" Phil's got his first meal of the day sitting in front of him. The chef makes a mean bacon mac 'n' cheese, and Phil's more than happy to break his fast with it.

"Well!" Colt stabs his pie, and leaves the fork sticking out of it like he'd just murdered it. "They're taking on a helper-"

"That's good, isn't it? You're always bitching about how you're over worked. Remember last year when you had six kids, and no peace?" Phil laughs at the indignant expression on his friends face.

"I'm happy to get the help, but they've hired a fucking alpha! I've been messaging him to let him know the lay of the land, and this fucking asshole!" At this Colt pulls his fork from his murdered pie, and eats a piece of it. "This mama-fucking asshole is all _well I've never done this work before, but I'm highly experienced with kids, so I'm sure I'll be fine_!" Colt adopts a deep voice for his impression of the alpha. Phil chokes back a laugh at Colt's emphatic rage.

"C'mon, I'm sure he wasn't-"

"Fucking _look_!" Colt thrusts his cell phone into Phil's face, his text conversation with the alpha in question open.

"Oh... Well... You know maybe he's just putting on a brave front?" The messages Phil's reading do seem to be particularly arrogant, but maybe he's right and the alpha is just trying to sound more confident than he actually is.

"I'm senior to him, and I just know this asshole is gonna fuck my shit up." Colt snipes, eating more of his pie. "He's one of those prick alphas who've no idea how competent single, independent omegas like us are." He grins over at Phil, and thrusts the forkful of pie into Phil's mouth when he opens it to speak. "Is the chef single?"

"Sami?" Phil mumbles around a mouthful of pie. "He's beta, Colt."

"God damn it! All the good ones are either taken or beta." Colt laments, and eats another bite of pie. "So, on the subject of love lives..."

"Nothing to report." Phil takes another mouthful of food, and fidgets under Colt's stern gaze.

"Bullshit." He snaps, eating the last of his pie. "You've got a look in your eye."

"Urgh, fine." Phil rolls his eyes, and takes a drink. "I was walking home last night-"

"Punk! Alone? You should have told me, I could have sent-"

"It's fine, I do it every night-"

" _Every night?_ For fuck sake, do you have some mace at least? No, you don't, do you. Wait." Colt pulls up his bag, and starts rooting through it. "Here." He sets a small mace can on the table. Phil hesitates for a moment, but knows better than to argue with his friend, and slips the can into his pocket. "Better. So, you were running the risk of being murdered last night, and?"

"And I'm not sure I want to finish this story now, Papa." Phil laughs, and eats some more. "This alpha comes up, and wraps his arm around me. He tells me there's these three other alpha following me, but I knew that, and I was about a block from home." Colt's wearing a nearly scandalised expression, but Phil waves his unexpressed concern away, continuing with his tale. "It turns out that he lives in the same building as me and Sethie. In the light, he was kinda good looking."

"Uh-huh." Colt smirks at Phil. "Kinda good looking is Punk-ese for ovary-explodingly-hot."

"Shh you. Anyway, I get my mail, and he starts the whole normal _omegas shouldn't be out so late_ bull, and I'm getting ready for a lecture when he just stops." Phil eats some more, and Colt looks like he's expecting there to be more to this story than what Phil's told him so far. "And he gives me his number."

"Ooo?" This sparks Colt's interest some more. "So super hot alpha saves you from murder, and gives you his number? Good night." Colt chuckles.

"I suppose... Do you think I should call him?" Phil knows that the slip of paper is still in his coat pocket. He'd not taken it out when he'd gotten home, leaving it where it was as it seemed safer somehow.

"How hot is he?" Colt asks mildly, picking up his coffee.

"Pretty hot." Phil admits quietly. He can feel a silly little grin forming on his lips.

"Ask him out to coffee Friday? You get Fridays off from here don't you?" Colt grinning at him, a devious little grin that has Phil fidgeting in his seat.

"I do, but I need to-"

"Your apartment is spotless. Your laundry is caught up with, and grocery shopping can be done after coffee." Colt cuts in before Phil can think of something to use as an excuse to get out of even considering this a good idea. "There anything else you gonna try and use an excuse?"

"I'll send him a message." Phil shakes his head, and eats the last of the macaroni.

"What's your white knight's name?" Colt asks as he fishes through his bag for his wallet.

"Dean. Don't worry about it I got-"

"Punk." Colt shoves some money into Phil's hand, and squeezes his fingers around it. "Did Sethie tell you what he wants for his birthday yet?"

"Self-defence lessons." Phil shakes his head, and goes over to settle Colt's bill. Colt follows along, still trying to bring order to his bag.

"Keep the change. It's a very practical present isn't it?" Colt finally looks up with a smile. "I've a little list of places if you're interested, and before you accuse me this wasn't my idea."

"He's growing up so fast, Colt. I'm scared about why he wants to learn to defend himself... The world is supposed to be getting safer for omegas, not more dangerous." Phil sighs, and rubs his eyes. "I better get back to work."

"Have fun." Colt calls as he leaves.

The rest of Phil's shift is the normal flurry of old alphas who sit together and complain, young people with no money for anywhere better, and the occasional homeless person who comes in on the off chance of getting something. The owner always chases them away, but Phil knows that if they go around the back, Sami the chef will have some _spoiled_ food for them. Colt was almost certainly right when he said that all the good alphas were either taken or beta.

"Good evening... Phil wasn't it?" The fat alpha greets Phil as he arrives in the office block that evening. Paul looks like he's just arriving back, his briefcase in hand, and an overcoat draped over his arm. "Would you like some tea before you start?" He doesn't wait for Phil's response. He starts off for his office, leaving Phil standing in the reception area considering if it would be rude to turn him down. Phil supposes that Paul will have to make the tea he's offering, so he'll at least have time to pull the supplies out of the closet, and make a start before he's summoned to drink tea.

"Paul sent me to fetch you." The huge alpha from last night startles Phil when he speaks. Phil had been lost in thought over where Seth might learn the self-defence he wants. Phil's no idea where to even look for places that offer omega self-defence classes. Despite the alpha's impressive size, Phil hadn't even heard him, although now that he's close enough Phil can smell him. There's a soft, natural undercurrent to his scent, something woodsy beneath the normal musk of an alpha. "He says the tea's ready. You go have a cup, and I'll finish emptying the trash for you."

" _No_. No. You don't need to do that. This is my jo-"

"Go have some tea, omega." There's a command in that tone. A kind, but firm command. Phil ducks his head slightly, and nods scurrying off to Paul's office.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Paul chuckles as Phil nervously knocks on the door of the office. "Did Brock give you a fright?"

"Uh..." Phil nervously nibbles on his bottom lip, and steps into the office.

"Don't worry. He sneaks up on me all the time too... You'd think a big fucker like him would make more noise." Paul laughs, and juts his jaw at the cups on his desk. "Take a seat." Usually Phil would be incredibly reluctant to drink anything he'd not watched being poured, but the fat alpha opposite him looks like Colt does when his kids are acting up.

"You look like you need to vent." Phil sits on the edge of the chair opposite Paul, and takes one of the little cups of tea. Paul barks a laugh, and scrubs a hand over his face.

"I had thought this would be easy, but my god I was wrong." He laughs dryly, and smiles at Phil. "I've two. An alpha, just turned ten, and an omega that seems to have confused turning seven with regressing to two. I swear she never threw these tantrums when her mama was alive." Paul blows at his tea, and sighs. "I figured that nannies would be enough to keep them in line, but apparently they want to nothing but try and kill each other. I'm considering chopping off his hands so he can't hit his sister anymore."

"They're a handful at that age..." Phil murmurs, sipping at the steaming tea in his tea. "Seth, my son-"

"An omega?" Paul interrupts, and Phil nods his head. "It must be hard... I wanted to stop at one, but their mama always wanted an omega. I told her that with an alpha you only need to worry about one knot not all of them." Paul laughs, and shakes his head. "How old is he?"

"Fifteen in a few days." Phil rubs his eyes, and subtly sneaks a glance at the clock in the corner of the room.

"Don't worry about the time... If I know Brock he'll-" The sound of the vacuum cleaner feels almost deafening to Phil. He carefully sets the teacup down, and bounces to his feet. "Don't worry about it. Brock enjoys cleaning. Drink your tea, Phil."

"I... I mean, are you sure?" Phil glances back at the door, spotting the strange sight of the huge alpha deftly manoeuvring the vacuum.

"He's a strange one." Paul shrugs. "So your omega's birthday is coming up? Any idea what he wants yet? I swear I usually know what my hellions want almost a year in advance, and the list is always twice as long by the time their birthdays actually roll around. This year I'm being tapped for a pony, and my alpha wants himself a car... He doesn't seem to realise that at ten he can't drive." Paul chuckles, and Phil wonders if he'll be allowed to answer the question that was asked of him now. For all the stereotypes paint omegas as gossips and incapable to shutting up for five minutes, Phil's found that when in social situations with alphas his contribution to the conversation is usually a few nods, and a rare short comment.

"He told me he wants self-defence lessons." Phil takes another sip of his tea, and Paul grins suddenly.

"Brock!" He calls out, and the vacuuming stops. The scent of the huge alpha draws closer. It's strange how much it reminds Phil of living in the countryside. The one thing he misses about living in North Carolina is the scent of the outdoors. "Brock, why don't you tell Phil here what it is you do?" Brock looks over at Paul with an expression that had Phil flinching internally; at least he hopes it was internal, because he's not sure he wants to expose any weaknesses around this beast of an alpha.

"I'm a cage fighter." Brock sounds oddly embarrassed, his ears turning red. He looks a lot like Seth did as a child when Phil would force him to apologise for being mean to other children.

"That sounds dangerous." Phil's fairly sure that's not the response Paul was after, but Brock meets his eyes easily, and nods.

"For the other alpha in there with me it. Why did you-"

"Tell Phil what _else_ it is you do, Brock." Paul chuckles, and Phil glances over at him. The rotund alpha is leaning back in his chair, his teacup in his hands, and a lazy smile on his face.

"I own, and operate a gym-"

"Specialising in?" Paul's smile stretches making him look like the Cheshire Cat's fat uncle.

"Martial arts, and self-defence training." Brock finishes, and Paul laughs.

"Isn't that marvellous, Phil?" Paul beams at Phil, and Phil glances over at Brock then back to Paul.

"That's really good... I should get back to work-"

"The only room that's left is here." Brock interrupts Phil, his ears blushing once more. "Come make sure I did a good job." He waits patiently for Phil to leave the office, and then follows along silently behind him. Phil nervously starts looking around the floor Brock had cleaned, and Phil has to admit he's done an incredible job.

"I'm gonna have to give you a cut of my pay." Phil laughs as he says it, but Brock is suddenly in front of him, a sharply earnest look on his face.

"You will not. I did this because you look like you need a rest, and for all Paul likes to hear himself talk, he makes good tea." Brock looks away embarrassed, and clears his throat. "So why was Paul asking me to tell you my job?"

"My son's birthday is in a few days." Phil pauses out of habit, used to alphas interrupting him, or making some kind of comment here, but Brock is silently watching him with rapt attention. "Uh... Yeah. Anyway, he told me he'd like to learn self-defence as his present, and I guess Paul thought maybe you could help?" Phil trails off, and pushes the elevator button for the next floor Phil has to clean for the lawyers firm.

"You want some help with the other two floors?" Brock offers as he stands by Phil waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"Uh... Don't you... I mean, if you like." Phil forces a smile to his lips, and stamps down the slight panic that the thought of sharing an elevator with this huge alpha causes in him.

"You were saying about how I could help your son?" Brock asks once the elevator door closes, and Phil laughs nervously, a hand running though his a hair.

"I don't think you can... I mean... I don't really have the money to pay for a place as nice as yours undoubtedly is." Phil glances over at Brock, half expecting some kind of annoyance to be on his face. Instead the huge alpha looks like he's thinking about something.

"Does he play any sports?" He asks softly, helping Phil with the cleaning cart when they arrive on the next floor to be cleaned.

"He used to run track, but he gave it up when his first heat came..." Phil shudders slightly at the memory of being called to the school, Seth dressed in school issue pants, his own pants and underwear soaked with his juices. Phil remembers the shame he'd felt as he entered the Principal's office, the heavy glare the old omega secretary had given him, the low sneer of what a terrible parent he was, the disgust on the face of the old alpha. What he remembers most though is Seth's tear streaked face, blotchy and red, his eyes huge and wet as he realised that as far as most alphas were concerned he was no longer a child. "I managed to get the money together for suppressants, but the rest of them wouldn't let him live it down... It's not like you can control when your heat comes, and you certainly can't stop getting _humid_. Kids can be so cruel... Sethie, my son, he used to love running. He was like a cheetah. I was so proud of him."

"You sound like you're a great Papa, Phil." Brock says suddenly, and Phil realises just how long he'd been talking. "I've a trainer who might like to talk to your son, if that's okay with you." Brock looks oddly hopeful, and Phil knows he looks suspicious. "One of my trainers was a cage fighter, but injury took her out of the game. She teaches omega defence classes, but they're aimed at older omegas..." Brock trails off, and Phil stares at him blankly.

"I don't think Seth would make a very good fighter..." He mutters, and Brock laughs softly in response.

"If he's anything like his papa, I don't either... But I have the feeling that Charlotte's gonna like your son all the same. So, where do you want me to start, boss?" Brock grins at Punk, a heavy garbage bag in his hand.

"C'mon, this is my job." Phil mutters, and Brock continues to grin at him.

"And tonight it's mine too. I'll empty the trash." Brock laughs, and wanders off.

Cleaning goes a lot quicker with Brock's help, and they manage to finish much sooner than Phil usually does, which isn't exactly great as this job pays by the hour, but there's still Paul's office to finish off, so perhaps it'll take long enough for Phil to feel justified in putting in for the full three hours. When they get to Paul's office he's on the phone, taking what looks to be an important call. The fat alpha is pacing his office, snarling at whoever's on the other end of the line.

"I sent a message to Charlotte... She sent a million back, and wants to know if you'll be able to stop in on Sunday so she can meet your son." Brock sounds very nervous, and Phil isn't exactly sure why. He doesn't have to be doing any of this for him, and if anything it should be Phil who's nervous, because there's no way he'll be able to pay the fees for Seth to go to a nice place to learn anything.

"How much?" Phil asks softly, and Brock looks down at him.

"I grew up dirt poor." He says quietly. "My dad worked all the hours god sent, my papa and my mama had to look after the kids."

"You had a mama and papa?" Phil turns to him, and Brock's ears once more turn crimson.

"My Da was a _very_ traditional man." Brock mutters. "Anyway, I know what it's like not having the money for nice things... I... If your son likes it, we'll work something out, okay?"

"Brock?" Phil stares up at the huge alpha, and forces the fear that the something will be something Phil doesn't want down. "Thank you." Brock just shakes his head, and pulls a card out of his pocket.

"This is the address for the gym. It's in a kind of rough neighbourhood, so I can-"

"It's two blocks from my apartment." Phil blurts out with a laugh. Brock looks mildly scandalised, his ears burning red once more. "I know it's not the best neighbourhood, don't feel bad." Phil lightly pats Brock's huge arm, and the alpha's whole face starts colouring red. Paul's staring at them with a lazy smile on his face when Phil looks back into the office. "I can finish this up-"

"I'm giving you a ride home." Brock looks slightly surprised with himself, and Phil doesn't even bother arguing. He knows better than to refuse the kindness of alphas.

"Did you take a taxi home tonight?" Dean's voice startles Phil as he closes the door to the apartment building behind him. Brock had given him a ride back, and surprisingly hadn't asked for a single thing from Phil, not even his number. All he'd done is explain about the omega Phil was going to take Seth to see on Sunday, about her background, and what she's like as a person. She sounds like she's going to be strict, but Phil thinks that's probably a good thing. He's no idea really, but from the sounds of things she'll either scare Seth off of this idea, or completely enamour him with it, and lead him down the path of cage fighting, which terrifies Phil.

"I got a lift... Were you-"

"Waiting for you? Not really, I had a look around to make sure I didn't spot any danger, then headed home." Dean smiles at Phil. He has a ridiculously attractive smile that makes Phil's stomach do summersaults.

"I've walked home a thousand times." Phil opens his mailbox, pulling out the bills in there. He's going to have to deal with them on Friday, if he doesn't ask Dean out like Colt suggested.

"Yeah, I'm sure that you're more than capable, but... You've heard that a million times, right?" Dean steps closer to Phil, his glorious smile still on his face.

"Once or twice." Phil laughs, and smiles back at him.

"So..." Dean trails off, and laughs, running a hand back through his hair. "I am usually _much_ better at this."

"At what?" Flirting isn't something Phil's done in earnest in a long time, and he thinks he's sorely lacking in practice, but Dean chuckles softly at the comment.

"Asking pretty omegas out on dates." He clarifies, and Phil can feel his cheeks heating up.

"I'm free Friday if you wanna practice some more." Phil presses the elevator button, and looks coyly over his shoulder at Dean. "Apartment four-thirty-four at twelve?" The elevator arrives with a loud ding, and Dean grins at Phil.

"Twelve it is."

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Moiself, ambroserollinsgirl, grlevithan, Guest, and Rebellecherry**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2016/07/23_**

 _In this omegaverse there are two genders, Alpha and Omega. Alphas are primarily basically your standard male alpha (knots, scenting, ruts). Omegas are a little different; there are two sexes female and male. The primary differences are that female omega are the only sex capable of producing milk for the young, they have a lower fertility rate and only experience one heat a year (generally in spring), physically they have normal human female genitals. Males have a higher fertility rate, and experience four heats a year, one per season, male omega's genitals are quite different to the standard cloaca of most omegaverses. In this male omegas have a penis (although it is incapable of ejacualting sperm as male omega lack testes), and vaginal opening (works the same a female vagina though tends to produce more lubrication), and an anus._

 _Beta = an alpha who is sexually attracted to other alphas._

 _If you've any questions feel free to send me a message and ask._


	3. Chapter 3

_Warnings: OmegaVerse (see endnotes for further details), Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Smut, Profanity._

* * *

"You're back early." Seth calls out from the kitchen as Phil locks the door behind him. Seth sounds pretty tired, and there's a huge part of Phil that feels terrible for leaving his son to fend for himself all night.

"Yeah... I got a ride home." In the kitchen Seth's buttering some toast. On the table there's a cup of the tea Phil likes, and Seth's phone propped against the jar of honey he uses to sweeten it. "Are you watching something interesting?" Phil moves Seth's phone out of the way, handling it carefully. It was Seth's birthday present last year, and already Phil's sure it's out of date, but he's still paying the contract on it, so Seth's stuck with it for another year at least.

"Nope." Seth sets a plate of toast down on the table, and starts spooning honey onto one slice. "Listening to a podcast... Xavier turned me on to it." He grins, and Phil nods absently, taking a slice of toast for himself. "You do know what a podcast is, right Papa?" Seth chuckles. Phil rolls his eyes at him, and sips at his tea.

" _No_. My ancient brain has never heard of such a thing." Seth grins at him, and swipes Phil's tea for a drink. "Is it one I'd like?"

"I dunno... I don't think so... It's a bit... Well, it's got an explicit tag." Seth laughs nervously, and picks his phone up. "I'm not listening to it with you, Papa... It's not like its How Stuff Works."

"Ah... Such happy memories." Phil smiles fondly over at Seth, and ruffles his hair. Last year in their crappier apartment they'd spent hours snuggled under the comforter on the couch that served a Phil's bed listening to random family friendly podcasts together. It was one of the few highlights of their time in that apartment. "You didn't have to stay up, you know."

"I was doing my homework." Seth takes another slice of toast, and then pushes the plate over Phil. "You're looking skinny, Papa. How am I supposed to get you married off if you waste away?" Phil shakes his head, and takes another slice of toast. Seth had only started teasing him about getting married off a few years ago. When he was younger he was incredibly happy that Phil was always there for him, but then puberty and his first heat came, and all of a sudden Seth wanted his papa to go out on dates. Dating wasn't something Phil had had much experience with, and now a few years later he still doesn't. He'd married his first boyfriend in Jeff, and every other alpha he's dated has been a terrible echo of that first relationship.

"Actually, I have a date, so there." Phil sticks out his tongue at Seth's shocked face, and triumphantly bites into his toast.

"A date? When and with who?" Seth sounds slightly shocked, his eyes narrowed as he stares at Phil.

"Friday, with an alpha from upstairs. He walked me home the other night, and we bumped into each other again tonight-"

"Is he hot?" Seth's grinning, and Phil isn't sure if it's a good grin, or not. His son is entirely too much like him for Phil to be happy sometimes. He's entirely sure that Seth is wearing the same expression he does whenever Colt tells him about some alpha he's been on a date with. An expression that's an awkward mix of excitement and concern.

"He's pretty hot." Phil glances away, and takes his tea back. "You should be in bed, kiddo."

"I know, I know... But... Tomorrow are you-"

"I'm cleaning the same office block again. Oh! Before I send your ass to bed, we're going to a gym on Sunday." Seth raises an eyebrow at him in an expression Phil knows is his. "The new offices I'm cleaning belong to some law firm, and one of their clients is some cage fighter who runs a gym. He invited us down so you can meet one of the omega's who's a trainer there."

"Am I gonna get any names so I can Google them, and make sure this alpha isn't some serial killer?" Seth's already picked up his phone, and unlocked it.

"Uh... The alpha's called uh... Brock?" A moment later Seth thrusts his phone into Phil's face. It's open on a Google image search for _Brock cage fighting_. It shows lots pictures of Brock in fights looking sweaty and determined, and several awkward ones of him in a suit. "That's him." Phil nods, and Seth stares at him blankly.

"No way, Papa. This alpha is _super_ famous! Like _super_ famous." Seth looks like he's trying to implore Phil to change his story somehow.

"Okay, so he's super famous... He's also really handy with a vacuum." Phil laughs, and pauses. "How famous is _super_ famous?"

"Oh my god, Papa... And I wonder why you're still single?" Seth rubs his eyes, and types at his phone. "Here read his wiki article." Seth's phone is once more thrust at Phil, and he reluctantly takes it. He's not entirely sure he wants to find out too much about Brock. He seemed nice, and he certainly smells nice, but he's really not Phil's type. The article lists out all of Brock's numerous achievements, an extensive list even with Phil only scanning it, and having no idea what any of it means.

"Oh." Phil scrolls further down the article, skipping the personal life section, and ending up at the last section. "He's the owner of a dog rescue centre."

"Papa." Seth shakes his head as Phil grins up at him. "Papa, please tell me your new goal is not to go to see this dog centre, and pet all the dogs."

"Seth... There are pictures! Look at them! Look at their little doggy faces!" Phil's practically brandishing the wiki article about Brock's dog sanctuary, and Seth gently picks his phone from his papa's hand. "This is my plan." Phil mutters softly, and Seth grins at him.

"I know... I'm coming too. I wanna pet these puppers and give them kisses and hugs too." Seth grins, then sighs softly. "It sucks that we can't have a pet."

"The rent agreement says we can't... And I wouldn't have time to look after a dog properly." Phil takes the last slice of toast, and pulls in half. "Here we'll go halfsies on this, then you get your butt to bed."

"So, this date on Friday?" Seth takes the toast half, and eats it in two bites.

"I told you, it's at twelve with an alpha from upstairs-"

"Who's hot." Seth grins, and Phil rolls his eyes at him.

"He's acceptably attractive. Go brush your teeth. You've school in the morning." Phil finishes off the last of his tea, and washes the few dirty dishes quickly. By the time he's done, Seth's changed into his pyjamas, and is leaving the bathroom.

"G'night, Papa." Phil wraps his son in a tight hug, and presses a kiss to Seth's hair letting him go with a quiet reply of _good night_.

Thursday comes, and goes without much hassle. The diner is the same as ever, and that night the lawyers' offices are devoid of people. Phil's almost disappointed that Paul isn't there, and equally almost disappointed at not seeing Brock again. He'd wanted to pump him for more information on Sunday's trip to his gym, and the potential costs of Seth taking lessons with Charlotte, but it'll have to wait. He arrives home to find Seth curled up fast asleep on the couch, his earbuds in his ears.

"You shouldn't sleep with those in, kiddo." Phil shakes his shoulder lightly, and tugs the buds out.

"Papa?" Seth's voice is quiet, and scratchy. "What time is it?"

"After your bed time." Phil offers Seth a hand, pulling him up easily. "Go, get ready for bed."

"Remember to eat, Papa." Seth yawns, and shuffles off to the bathroom. Phil glances over at kitchen, and considers if he's hungry enough to eat, or if sleep sounds like a better plan. "Papa... Maybe you should go to bed." Seth draping himself over Phil's back startles him from his non-thoughts.

"I think you might be right, kiddo. You want me to tuck you in?" Phil chuckles, and Seth presses a quick kiss to the side of Phil's head.

"I think I'm old enough to tuck myself in."Seth squeezes him tightly, and steps away. "G'night Papa."

"Yeah, g'night kiddo. I love you." Phil smiles at him as Seth nods slightly, and vanishes behind his bedroom door. "Love you too Papa." Phil mumbles as he heads to the bathroom to get ready for bed. There was a time when Seth would always tell Phil he loved him, but now he's growing up, and apparently he doesn't think that his papa needs to hear that anymore. "You look terrible." Phil's reflection looks stupidly contrite as it stares back at him. "What the hell are we gonna do with you tomorrow, huh? Stupid date... I could start getting ready now, and still look a mess." His reflection doesn't argue with him, if anything it looks like it agrees. "And now I talk to myself... Jesus, Phil. Get it together." Phil starts brushing his teeth to stave off anymore one sided conversations with himself.

It always takes Phil a long time to fall asleep. Sometimes he lies awake for hours, staring up at the ceiling, or messing about with games on his phone. Sleep always feels like a luxury, and even when he has it the slightest noise can take it away again. The sound of Seth creeping out of his room, and coming over to Phil's was quiet, but the almost silent creak of Seth's bedroom door had Phil awake and checking the time. Seth slips into bed behind Phil, and for a moment, Phil lies still curled around the spare pillow he sleeps with in lieu of an alpha.

"Papa..." Seth pokes Phil in the back lightly. His voice is tiny and soft. It reminds Phil of when they'd first left North Carolina, when Seth had had nightmares almost every night, and would come running to his papa to keep him safe.

"Yeah?" Phil turns over, squinting at Seth in the semi-darkness. Seth smiles at him, and cuddles close to Phil, tucking his head under his papa's chin. "Sethie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine... I love you, Papa. I want you to know that, okay?" Seth snuggles close, and Phil hugs him tightly back, then loosens his arms. What's brought this on Phil's not sure, but he's not complaining. He's missed the sweet, cuddly kid Seth was when he was younger. As he's gotten older he's become more standoffish, but that's to be expected, still Phil's not going to be complain about the occasional cuddle.

"You're planning on staying?" Phil chuckles, and Seth nods. "Alright then. G'night kiddo." Seth doesn't really answer. All he does is snuggle closer to Phil clearly settling in for a while at least.

The next morning at around ten there's a loud familiar knock on Phil's apartment door, then the sounds of it opening.

"You know there's no point in knocking if you're just going to let yourself in." He shouts without looking up from the stupid phone game he's playing. He solidly blames Seth for this one, there's no way he'd have downloaded it, but Seth had swiped his phone and installed it, so Phil's busy matching Disney emojis in the hopes of unlocking more Disney emojis so he can unlock more of them.

"I thought maybe you'd slept in." Colt dumps his bag on the couch by Phil, and heads straight to the kitchen, turning on the coffee pot. "Are you going to get dressed? You've only got two hours to get ready for this date."

"How do you know about this?" Phil sets his phone down, and glowers over at Colt standing in the threshold of the kitchen.

"Seth's got a big mouth, and fast typing fingers." Colt chuckles, and sits by Phil. "He wants me to make sure you look pretty."

"It's coffee, Colt. Not like he's taking me somewhere fancy. Besides this one won't be any different to any of the others. As soon as he finds out about Seth, he'll be out." Phil sighs, and forces himself to his feet. "I should shower though."

"Yes, you stink." Colt nods sages, and heads back to the kitchen to pour himself some coffee. "What are you wearing?"

"Clothes?" Phil calls out, sparing a glance for his wardrobe.

"Go and shower, I'll find something sexy." Colt's entered Phil's bedroom, a cup of coffee in hand, and smirk on his face. "Or at least something that doesn't scream _I've not had sex in years._ "

"Whatever, asshole." Phil leaves the bedroom after snagging the towels he's got draped over the door. "Just nothing slutty."

"You literally don't own anything slutty, Punkers." Colt answers. Phil doesn't bother responding. Instead he turns on the shower, and brushes his teeth whilst waiting for the water warm up. This whole date is going to be pointless. No matter how interested Dean seemed, no one sticks around after they learn about Seth, and if they do all they want is one night. Although Phil would be lying if he said he'd not like one night with Dean. He's definitely his type, and that smile does terrible things to him. Of course, he might be wrong about Dean entirely. Maybe he's the kind of alpha who wants to date; maybe he's not looking for anything more than friendship with a heavy dose of flirting. It's not likely, but on this occasion Phil wouldn't mind being wrong too much.

"So what did you pick?" He wanders back into his bedroom after showering to find Colt still standing glaring at his closet.

"You have nothing." He mutters, turning his glare from the closet to Phil. "You've literally nothing date worthy. It's no wonder you're still single."

"You're single too, so you've no right criticising my wardrobe." Phil snaps as he scrubs at his hair with a towel. Colt shakes his head absently, and sits down on Phil's bed.

"I'm perfectly content being single. You're the one who's bitching about not getting any." Colt laughs, and Phil's certain he's blushing furiously. Colt laughs at him again, and flops back against Phil's pillows. "There's nothing in there that screams date me... You've some interview clothes, work clothes, and I'm fairly sure the t-shirt you were wearing when I met you is still in there, and that's it." Phil sighs, and sits on the end of his bed staring at his closet.

"There's gotta be something half-way okay in there... The black button down?" Phil pokes at Colt's ankle.

"And the dark blue jeans... I thought that might work." Colt scoots down to sit by him, a broad grin spreading over his face.

"What?" Phil doesn't trust that look, doesn't trust it in the least. Colt glances over at Phil's dresser, and Phil shakes his head. "I'm not covering my face in shit to make him think I'm pretty." Colt opens his mouth to protest, but Phil cuts him off. "He asked me out when I looked like shit, so he can deal with the fact that's how I always look." He sticks his tongue out to emphasise his point, and Colt scuffs the back of his head.

"Fine, fine... I know better than to argue with your dumb ass. _So_!" He stands up, and pulls the black shirt, and dark jeans out, tossing them onto the bed. "Do we have sexy underwear at least?"

" _Colt_! I'm not gonna bang him on a first date! Especially one to a coffee shop for fuck sake. Get out, and let me get dressed." Phil gets to his feet, pushing his friend towards the door.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh." Colt leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

"Sexy underwear." Phil mutters to himself, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror over the dresser. There's a remaining slivery stretch marks over the skin of his belly, which is far softer than he'd like no matter how many lunches he skips, and walks he makes. Seth had been a _big_ baby, and Phil never really had the chance to get his body back into its pre-baby state what with having a baby that needed his attention. Jeff had been good back then, but he'd also been working to keep them feed, and housed. He didn't have the time to watch Seth whilst Phil worked on shifting his baby weight, and at the time Phil had thought that Jeff would be the only one who'd ever see him naked anyway. "Sexy underwear isn't going to help this situation." He does find himself rooting through his underwear drawer all the same, trying to find a pair that clings to his hips and hugs his ass nicely. It feels slightly ridiculous, but he does feel sexier in the lace-trimmed red ones he pulls on than he would in his normal black underwear. Once he's dressed he considers the little scattered pot of makeup on his dresser. He's not overly fond of it, but so many alphas prefer their omegas to be painted and dainty. In his youth he was more inclined to be _pretty_ , now he feels old, tired, and like it's not worth the effort.

"You want me to do a little for you?" Colt's cracked the door ajar a little, watching Phil carefully. "You know you look fine."

"I look like shi-"

"Shut up, Phil." It's rare for Colt to use Phil's real name. They'd met through Colt's blog about working in a children's home and needing help with all of his charges. Phil had been considering jobs back home in Chicago, and been tempted by the prospect of working with kids. Punk had been the handle Phil had used, and so that's how Colt's referred to him ever since. The job hadn't panned out, not having a degree meant Phil wasn't qualified for it, but their friendship had grown from strength to strength all the same. "You look beautiful." Colt gives him a big hug from behind, squeezing him tightly. "And if this dumbass alpha doesn't think so, well then we'll go gamma and get married ourselves."

"Pff... You're gonna have to buy a strap-on then." Phil laughs, and pulls away. "Just a little bit, okay. Nothing too over the top."

"Over the top? Me? I'm scandalised!" Colt laughs, and starts making up Phil's face. When he's done it's difficult to tell that there's anything there, his eyelashes are a little longer, and a little thicker, the heavy bags under his eyes are disguised with foundation and powder, but it's so subtle you'd never really know it was there. It's depressing how much more confident Phil feels for it though.

"Thanks, Colt." Phil studies his reflection trying to work out when he got so old. It feels like he's somehow lost his life to being a papa, like every drop of youth and energy he's ever had was poured straight into Seth leaving nothing but the omega staring back at Phil from the mirror. Colt presses a quick kiss to his temple, and grins at his reflection.

"Don't thank me, thank nature and Maybelline. C'mon, your alpha's gonna be here soon. What shoes are-"

"I have threee pairs of shoes, Colt. Work shoes, sneakers, and interview shoes. Guess which pair I'm wearing?" Phil laughs, and pulls the nicer of the three pairs of shoes out, then puts them back and grabs his sneakers, a slightly grubby pair that were once white, out from where they're hidden behind Seth's shoe pile. His interview shoes are definitely too formal for a casual coffee.

"So, do you know where you're going?" Colt's taken a seat on the couch, his phone in his hands.

"Nope, he didn't say." Phil starts rooting through his bag, making sure he's got everything he needs. "I don't think it'll be anywhere too far though, and if I need your help I'll text from the bathroom."

"Standard procedure?" Colt glances up from his phone for a moment. Phil nods without looking up from sorting through his bag. "You still have that mace I gave you?"

"Yes, pa... Honestly, I'm capable-"

"Punkers, there are bad people in the world, and I don't want to have to explain to Sethie why his papa didn't come home." Colt sounds firm, and makes a distressingly good point. There's been a lot more rapes and murders in this area than Phil's comfortable with, in that there's been more than one.

"I'll be careful, but it's just coffee, and he'll probably piss off once he finds out about Seth anyway." Phil laughs bitterly, and tosses his bag onto the couch beside Colt. "It'd be nice to meet just one alpha who doesn't freak out about Seth... It's not like he's a baby anymore."

"If he freaks out, it's his lose. It's nearly time. You all set?" Colt sets his phone down, and looks Phil over.

"I think so... When you leave lock the door, okay?" Almost as soon as Phil stops speaking there's a knock. The knock on the door is so on twelve that Phil's half convinced that Dean must have been standing there waiting for the clock to say twelve exactly. Colt turns to Phil with an amused expression on his face.

"Well, at least we know he can read the clock." He laughs, and Phil throws a cushion at his friend.

"You're an asshole, and I don't know why you're still here." Phil nervously fiddles with his shirt, and stands in front of Colt. "Do I look okay?"

"Gorgeous. Now go answer the door before your date leaves." Colt waves him off, and Phil scampers over to the door, grabbing his bag on the way.

"Hey." Dean's standing on the other side, with a lopsided smile on his face. "Am I early?"

" _No_." Phil croaks, and clears his throat to get rid of the frog that seems to have lodged in there. "My friend was just distracting me." He steps aside slightly so Colt can see Dean.

"Hi!" Colt waves, and goes back to typing on his phone.

"Hey... So shall we?" Dean gestures towards the elevators down the corridor, and Phil casts a glance back at Colt.

"Remember-"

"I got it. Go have fun, Punkers." Colt calls out without looking up from his phone. Phil smiles tightly at Dean, and follows him to the elevators.

"I'm sorry-"

"Nothing to be sorry for, Phil." Dean's smile might just be the death of Phil. Those dimples, the curve of his lips, the way his eyes sparkle with mischief. Dean has heartbreak and bad decisions written all over him.

"So, uh... Where are we headed?" Phil asks as they get into the elevator. Dean glances away, shifting from foot to foot.

"Nowhere too fancy... I'm kind of poor." He laughs, and smiles at Phil once more. "I was thinking the Starbucks on the corner?"

"Sounds good to me." Phil nods, and considers if he actually has enough money to afford a Starbucks on him. He doesn't often go there for several reasons, but mostly because the coffee is over-priced and tastes burnt.

"Cool..." Dean trails off, looking like he's stalling for something to talk about. Their walk is awkwardly silent, and Phil's almost grateful for that. He knows that if he gets involved with Dean nothing good's going to come from it, and he's really not looking for a relationship. He needs to focus on Seth, which means him and his lack of a love life takes a firm backseat. "What would you like?"

"I... I can get my o-"

"My treat, Phil. What'd you want?" Dean smiles at him, and Phil wishes he could get used to that smile. It's the sort of smile that he should be warning Seth about, the sort of smile that makes having a love life seem like a good idea.

"Uh... The honey latte?" Phil glances from the menu to Dean to the server. The girl grins brightly at him.

"It's delicious! I've been drinking like a fiend." She turns to Dean waiting for his order.

"Mocha, and a honey latte then please... What size do you want?" Dean asks Phil, and he's no idea how to answer the question.

"Umm... A small?" He shifts awkwardly, and the server looks at him with concern. He knows that look. It's the look one omega gives another that silently asks if you're okay, if the alpha you're with is bothering you. Phil smiles back at her with a tiny shake of his head. She beams in response, realising that this is just first date nerves.

"A small? I'm poor, not destitute." Dean laughs, and orders two mediums, getting a chuckle from the server. "Grab a table will you?" Dean gestures around the mostly empty store, and Phil picks a table near the window. Part of him wants to see if Dean's flirting with the omega behind the counter, but instead he pulls out his phone, checks for any texts, and then emails when he has none to distract himself with. "One latte." Dean sets a mug down in front of Phil with a smile.

"Why is this bigger-"

"The serving girl gave you a free upgrade. She said it was too good to serve in anything less than a venti." Dean shrugs, and Phil glances over at the server. She winks at him, and he thinks he's blushing, so he takes a sip of the coffee in front of him. "You think she's a ga-"

"I think an omega with good taste is what she is." He offers the mug to Dean. "Try it. It's super good." Dean takes a sip, and shakes his head.

"Too sweet for me." He mutters taking up his mocha. Phil bites back the sharp comment about how Dean's basically drinking hot chocolate with a shot of espresso, and takes a longer drink of his latte. "So... Uh... I have no idea what to say." Dean smiles at him, and Phil can feel warmth pooling in his stomach.

"That makes two of us." Phil laughs softly. "How about what job has you coming home so late?" Dean smiles at him, and sets his mocha down.

"I work in radio..." Dean pauses for a moment, waiting for Phil to recognise him presumably, but Phil doesn't and Dean seems to catch on quickly enough. "It's a call-in show called The Asylum. I don't know if you've heard of it, but we get okay ratings for a nightly show." Phil shakes his head, and sips at his coffee once more.

"I don't get much chance to listen to the radio... What station is it?" He's learned through his brief forays into dating that alphas like to talk about themselves. It's far easier to ask them a few questions and let them talk than suffer through their attempts at pretending to care about who he is.

"CLPR... Not the biggest station, but you know we all gotta start somewhere, and I've... Uh, so what is it you do?" Phil raises an eyebrow at Dean's decision to cut himself off, but doesn't comment.

"I work at a diner nearby-ish, and then nights I'm a cleaner... Not quite as glamorous as radio." Phil laughs, and looks up at Dean. "What?" Dean's staring at him with a perplexed look on his face.

"Nothing." He smiles broadly, and Phil turns to look down at his coffee. "So how come-"

"I need the money." Phil answers the question before it's finished, and wonders if he can delay the inevitable of bringing up Seth. Usually when he mentions his son alphas go running, and he doesn't expect Dean to be an exception, no matter how much he'd like it, it's unlikely. Dean's young, and handsome, definitely not the type to get bogged down with some single parent and their kid.

"You know radio isn't all the glamorous. I spend hours every night talking to crackpots." Dean changes the subject awkwardly. "Last night I got a call from some crazy alpha out in the burbs about some crackpot conspiracy about the pope being the anti-christ."

"The pope?" Phil laughs, and Dean nods enthusiastically.

"Yup! You know how everyone loves this new one, even those damn hell bound atheist, well that's just more of a sign that he's the anti-christ don't you know." Dean chuckles, and takes a long drink of his mocha.

"That's your show? Crazy people calling in with conspiracy theories? Sounds kind of fun, maybe I should check it out." Phil smiles at him, and Dean nods slightly.

"Maybe... I don't know what you'd make of it though... Me and Tom, my co-host, are pretty _liberal_." Dean smiles at Phil again, and Phil's convinced that he has to have some kind of special power. He's never melted at anyone's smile quite like this, not even Jeff's. "Although, because it's on the radio we keep it pretty clean."

"I've no objections to swearing... There are no bad words, only bad intentions." Phil smiles awkwardly, and Dean looks at him thoughtfully.

"Alright... I'm gonna ask all the dumb questions that are churning around in my stupid head, forgive me." He flashes Phil that stomach melting smile once more, and all Phil can do is nod dumbly. "Okay, favourite colour?"

"Red." Phil answers without really thinking. Dean nods once at his answer, and asks the next question.

"Favourite movie?"

"Uh... I'm not sure... I like horror though." Phil's favourite movie changes like the wind, one day it'll be one classic, the next it'll be another.

"Oh? Not romance?" Dean laughs, making Phil blush slightly. "Favourite band?"

"I don't have one." Phil answers with what he thinks is too much edge. He likes music, but after Jeff he mostly avoids getting attached to any one band. He's had some unpleasant run ins with musicians thanks to Jeff, and he doesn't want to have to remember them, so music is merely background noise to him.

"That's surprising... Star sign?" Dean moves on with his list of stupid questions, and Phil can't hold back a laugh at that one.

"I've no idea. I was born in October if that helps." He laughs once more, and Dean looks confused by his amusement. "I'm not really one for superstition." Phil shrugs, and drinks more of his coffee.

"Hmm... Maybe you should listen to my show." Dean's staring at Phil with that thoughtful look once more. "Political party?"

"Democrat."

"Religion?"

"Don't have one. I'm an atheist."

"Stance on omega-ism?"

"Omega-ist, obviously." Phil laughs. Dean's gaze doesn't waiver, and across his lips has spread an even more beautiful smile than usual. It seems like Phil's answers had all been correct, or at least the same as Dean. It might be that Phil's misjudged Dean, and he is just really bad at going on dates, because he seems much more relaxed now.

"Why the fuck are you single?" Dean asks with a hint of wry amusement in his tone. His smile is broad, warm, and utterly stomach-melting. His nostrils are flared slightly, clearly taking in Phil's scent. He hopes he really has misjudged Dean, and what he says next doesn't scare him off.

"My son asks me that question with annoying regularity." Phil laughs, and watches the expression on Dean's face completely fall away.

"Son?" He almost whispers the word, and Phil can feel any hope he had that this would work out alright fall away. He knew there was no point to hope, and still he went along anyway.

"Yeah... I have a son." The urge to just leave is incredibly strong. Dean's no longer smiling, and Phil has the distinct impression that he's not going to be seeing Dean's stomach melting smile any time soon, which is a shame, because Phil did like that smile.

"Wow... So... Uh... How old?" Dean's staring out of the window, his face completely blank. It's pretty clear that whatever might have happened between them is gone. It's not a surprise, but still it stings a little. It's his own fault really. He should make it a habit to make it clear to alphas that he's got a child. He should know better than to try to keep it quiet until he's tricked them into a date like this.

"I don't think that really matters does it?" Dean winces, but shakes his head. A feeling like being stabbed settles in Phil's gut, and he drains the last of his coffee, before standing up. "Thank you for the coffee." The server behind the counter looks at him in confusion as he hurries out of the coffee shop. Out on the street, Phil takes a deep breath, and wonders why exactly he thought this alpha would be any different to any of the others. Seth is always a deal breaker, and he shouldn't expect that to change. "Fuck... I hope Colt's gone." Phil mutters to himself, heading back home.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Guest** **, Rebellecherry, ambroserollinsgirl, and Fantoome.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2016/09/17 - I apologise for the delay, but I'll be on holiday so unable to write._**

 _Gamma = an omega who is sexually attracted to other omegas._

 _If you've any questions feel free to send me a message and ask._


	4. Chapter 4

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

"You're back too early for that to have gone well." Colt's just leaving the apartment building when Phil arrives. "You wanna talk about it?" The single last thing Phil wants to do is talk about what happened with Dean. It's the same thing that's happened a thousand times before, and he's sick of having the same rant. It's always the same rant, and it always ends up with Phil fighting frustrated tears, and cursing his younger self. He's never sure if he's cursing himself for being seduced so young, or if he's cursing himself for not staying with Jeff, and that just makes him more frustrated. Leaving Jeff was the smartest thing he's ever done, but it's done nothing but cause him problems. He should just accept the fact that he's undateable, and be done with this. "C'mon." Colt wraps an arm around his shoulders, and is leading him towards the elevator.

"I don't want to talk about." Phil mutters, but all Colt does is laugh, and push him lightly into the elevator. "It was the same as it always is, and I don't want to talk about it."

"Yeah, yeah." Colt levels him with a calm stare. "You don't wanna talk about it, fine. I've plenty to rant about."

"Oh?" That piques Phil's interest. If Colt's going to have a rant, Phil can shove Dean to the back of his mind, and start getting ready for work this evening. Between the two Phil should be able to forget all about Dean and his being like every other alpha he's ever had to deal with. It would be nice to meet just one who didn't run for the hills as soon as Seth's existence was revealed. It's not like Seth's a bad kid, and he's nearly an adult himself, but that's possibly more of a problem. It'd be one thing if Seth was a baby, but he's nearly fully grown, and that just makes Phil seem even older than he is.

"So, Mr Alpha showed up this morning, and I hate him." The scowl on Colt's face is audible in his tone. "He's as arrogant, and asshole-ish as I was expecting, but the kids seem to really like him. The little traitors."

"Even Noam?" Phil nudges his friend, and Colt turns the full force of his scowl on him.

" _Yes_! That little traitor was the worst! He ate his breakfast no bother for Mr Cena. Fucking prick that he is. I am officially considering quitting if they don't get rid of this asshole." Colt stomps out of the elevator when it arrives at Phil's floor. "I've literally never met an alpha as infuriating as this one. Not even that prick you were fucking last year was as bad as this one, I fucking swear!"

"A lot apparently." Phil mutters as he opens his front door. "I'll make some coffee."

"He shows up, and he literally just took over! I've been doing this job for years, and this fucking ass just fucks up my entire routine. Yeah, coffee sounds good." Colt flops down on the couch with a huff. "And you wanna know the worst of it? He's a good looking piece of shit. All muscles, and blue eyes. He would have to be a handsome son of a bitch, wouldn't he? It's just my fucking shitty luck that the biggest asshole walking the Earth would be hot."

"It could be worse?" Phil perches on the arm of the couch, offering Colt a smile.

"How? Prey tell how it could be worse, Punkers?" Colt folds himself into a huddled lump on the opposite end of the couch, his scowl still firmly in place.

"At least he's not gonna uninterested because you've got kids." Phil laughs, and Colt throws a cushion at him. "What? You're unattached, maybe he's being a jerk because he wants to fuck you."

"He can go fuck himself." Colt mutters.

"Maybe you should do that, you seem tense there Colt." Phil tosses the cushion back at his friend, and goes to pour out two cups of coffee. "So how come you're not at work anyways?"

"Because Cena is making himself comfortable there, and I'm supposed to be collecting the groceries." Colt's come into the kitchen, and taken a seat at the table.

"So you're hiding out here instead?" Phil sets a cup down in front of him, and sits in the other chair at the table.

"Yes." Colt doesn't bother lying, instead he starts sipping cautiously at the coffee in his cup. "Anything to avoid this prick."

"How exactly has he annoyed you so much in the space of one morning? You were here at like ten. What the hell did this guy do?" Phil rests his chin on his fist, watching his friend blush slightly.

"Probably nothing to be honest. He just rubs me up the wrong way." Colt mumbles, and takes another drink.

"You sure that's not the right way, and you think he won't be interested?" Phil chuckles softly. He knows the look on Colt's face. It's the look Colt wears when he's annoyed with himself for something he probably can't control, like who he's attracted to.

"Does it even matter? C'mon, there's a very good reason I'm single, Punkers." Colt waves a hand at himself, and drinks once more. Phil rolls his eyes, and doesn't bother indulging his friend's self-esteem issues. Colt's as body conscious as Phil himself is, but unlike Phil Colt uses his work to act as an excuse to not actively be on the market.

"Whatever." Phil smirks at him, and stares down at his coffee. "So you wanna look into buying a strap-on?" Colt laughs, and shakes his head.

"C'mon, you'll find someone." Colt downs the last of his coffee, and stands up. "I should get my ass down to the store. You wanna come?"

"Yeah, I should get some food in, and look out a cake for Sethie." Phil rubs his eyes, and wonders if he should get something special in for Seth's birthday breakfast.

"Oh! That reminds me." Colt pulls an envelope from his purse, and sets it on the table. "He's at that age where I've no idea what to get him, so this is just money. Kids these days… Who knows what they like."

"Clothes and handsome alphas? Who knows with Seth… He's never mentioned any hot alphas to me… Has he said anything to you?" Phil collects the cups, and sets them in the sink. He genuinely can't think of a single time Seth's mentioned having a crush on any alpha, not even celebrities. He's not sure if he should be concerned. He'd not mind if Seth was a gamma, but there's a part of him that would like to be a grandpa, not that being gamma would stop Seth from being a papa.

"You know what Sethie's like. He keeps things to himself, just like his papa." Colt claps Phil on the shoulder, and laughs softly. "Get ready. I already ordered a cake. It's a present from my little ones."

The rest of the day Phil spends with Colt, both of them avoiding talking about what happened earlier in the day. Seth's birthday cake gets hidden in the back of the fridge, and the envelope is stashed behind some books on the shelf. Colt bitches a little more about Cena, and a little more about alphas in general, and Phil nods along, making jokes where he can, trying to lighten his friend's mood, but in the end he has to go to work, and Colt has to pick up his kids.

The law offices are emptied out apart from Paul, but Phil's beginning to suspect that he's mostly working late to avoid going home. Although his office door closed, and the muffled sound of vigorous arguing.

"You okay?" Phil glances up from the floor at the sound of Brock's voice, and forces the brightest smile he can to his face. It's generally better to greet alphas with a smile, if nothing else it stops them from feeling the need to tell him to smile. Being told to smile is one of the many things Phil hates most, if he's not smiling it's because he doesn't want to smile, and he doesn't think he should have to just to make some random alpha happy.

"I'm good." Brock raises a single eyebrow at him, and trails along after him silently when Phil heads to the cleaning cupboard.

"You don't look _good_." Brock says calmly, watching him carefully. Phil turns away, busying himself with pulling the supplies out. He can feel the weight of Brock's gaze on his back. It's not as uncomfortable as he was expecting it to be though. It's almost a comforting weight.

"Ah…" There's nothing left for Phil to pull out, and Brock's already taken a hold of a trash bag. "You're not planning on helping me again are you?" Brock's ears turn red, and he nods once.

"I am, and I'm hoping you're gonna tell me what's up." He smiles, and Phil ducks his head slightly. "You don't have to, but I'm a good listener."

"I went out for coffee, it didn't go well." Phil mutters, heading to where he needs to be to start cleaning. Brock sucks air in through his teeth, emptying a trash can into the bag.

"What happened?" He doesn't look up from his work, seemingly fixated on emptying the trash.

"My son. It's what always happens to be honest. No matter how well a date's going as soon as Seth's mentioned they get cold, and the date ends. I knew the risks when I got divorced, but it'd be nice to meet an alpha who doesn't run for the hills for a change." Phil starts cleaning the desks, working around the random items left on them. "It's not like Seth's a kid, well he is, but he's nearly fifteen. -He's almost an adult, and we're self-sufficient. I don't expect some random alpha to be his daddy. We've been fine on our own for the last ten years, and we'll be fine for the next ten. I'd just like…" Phil trails off, and looks over to Brock. The big alpha has stopped working and is looking at him thoughtfully.

"You'd like?" He prompts, and Phil shakes his head. What he'd like isn't really something worth mentioning.

"Doesn't matter really." He starts working once more. This isn't really the conversation to be having with Brock. He barely knows him, and really as nice as Brock seems, he's not Phil's type. Although it is nice to just talk to someone else for a change. Colt's great, but sometimes Phil wishes he had more friends. "I want someone who's interested enough in me to not care that I've got a kid. I love Seth, but ever since he was born _everything_ has been about him, it's had to be, and sometimes I feel kinda selfish." Phil laughs softly. Brock's hand rests on his shoulder for a moment, then is quickly taken away.

"It's not selfish to want someone else to be there for you." He says it so softly that Phil's not entirely sure he was supposed to hear it. "I'm just a guy who punches people in the face for a living as far as most people are concerned, but there's more to me than that you know."

"I know… Seth googled you." Phil chuckles, and looks up at Brock, utterly unsurprised to see his ears have turned crimson.

"Uh…" Brock looks at a loss for words, and Phil smiles at him.

"The dog rescue sounds like a lovely thing to be doing, I'm impressed with it." He lightly touches Brock's shoulder, and gets back to work.

"I like dogs. They're simpler than people. All they want is love and food." Brock comes around the desk Phil's cleaning to lean on its divider. "If I could I'd only ever deal with dogs."

"You and me both." Phil laughs. "Well, my son too I guess… I do like him for all the trouble he's caused me, he's a good kid."

"I'm sure he is. I'm looking forward to meeting him. So… What happened with this alpha then, because I can't believe that having a kid would be the deal breaker on a date with you." Phil laughs at Brock, an unexpectedly solid laugh that clearly throws Brock for a loop. His ears turn crimson, and an embarrassed look crosses his face. "Seriously?"

"Yup. No alpha I've ever dated has been interested once they find out I've got a kid. Well, that's a lie. There was one, but he was only interested in sex, which was nice for a bit, but it gets boring after a while, you know?" Phil grins at Brock, his entire face is now crimson.

"Umm… I… I'm not really the dating type, so just for sex is kind of all I've ever been involved with to be honest. Like I said dogs are easier than people…" Brock mumbles, and stares down at the floor. "Everyone expects me to be this big dumbass, and sure it's easy to be what they expect but there's more to me than punching."

"I'm beginning to notice that, Brock." Phil smiles as Brock fleetingly meets his gaze. "So there's no other half waiting for you back home?" Brock shakes his head, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly.

"Nah… Most omegas I meet want the… _Thrill_ of sleeping with me, and then they want free reign of my bank account." Brock sounds horribly embarrassed, and Phil thinks he can understand that. It has to be difficult to be someone like Brock. Power and money tend to attract the worst sort of people.

"I don't think I can _understand_ , but I can sympathise." Phil pokes Brock's shoulder. "C'mon garbage man, there's another two floors worth of trash for you to empty." Brock laughs softly, and falls into step with Phil as they head to the elevator. "I missed you yesterday, you know. It was really boring cleaning without someone to talk to… If you don't want to be the garbage man, just hanging out would be nice. I don't have any alpha friends, and-"

"Boss, I like helping out." Brock grins over at him, and nudges Phil lightly with his shoulder.

"You're gonna have to let me pay you for this somehow... I work in a diner during the day, I can bring you, uh… What is it you fighters eat? Chicken right?" Phil steps into the elevator to the sound of Brock chuckling.

"Anything loaded with protein… Though if your diner does a decent apple pie I'd kill for a slice once in a while." Brock grins at him, and Phil nods making a quick mental note to grab a slice of Sami's incredibly delicious pie for Monday night.

"Just my office left I'm assuming." A couple of hours later, Paul's slightly harried voice interrupts the silly game Phil had been playing with Brock. A silly game in which you said one random word and the other person had to think of a song lyric with that word in. Brock had proven to be very good at the game, and had a terrible singing voice that had reduced Phil to tears of laughter.

"Yup. Go on home, Paul E. The boss and I have work to do in there." Brock laughs. Phil can feel his cheeks heating up at that comment. He doesn't mind Brock calling him boss jokingly, but somehow it's slightly embarrassing when in company.

"Hmm." Paul regards Phil thoughtfully. "You said your son's birthday was soon, right?" Paul pulls a little envelope from his pocket, and offers it to Phil. "Nothing fancy, just an iTunes voucher."

"You _really_ didn't have to." Phil reluctantly takes the envelope from Paul, and slips it into his pocket. "Are you-"

"I'm all done for the evening. Good luck for Sunday." Paul heads for the elevators without a backwards glance, leaving Phil and Brock alone.

"I'll get the trash then." Brock makes the first move into the office, then pauses at the door. "Your word is lawyer."

"Lawyer? C'mon Garbage Man there's no songs with lawyer in them… This might take me a while to think." Phil mutters, grabbing the little cleaning supplies box, and carrying it into Paul's office.

"You've got the standard five minutes, Boss." Brock laughs, emptying the trash.

"I give up. I can't think of a single song with lawyer in it." Phil concedes once it feels like five minutes are up, and Brock grins at him.

"Now tonight back in old Pennsylvania, among those beautiful pines, there's one less Philadelphia lawyer in old Philadelphia tonight." Brock sings it spectacularly off-key, with a big grin on his face. "Woody Guthrie. What's my word?" Phil tries, and fails to choke back a laugh at Brock's performance.

"Uh… Bleach?" Phil goes back to work, a sly little smile on his lips. He's had a surprisingly nice time with Brock. He might not be Phil's type, but he's definitely someone Phil wouldn't mind spending more time with. It might be just a ploy on Brock's part, but it really doesn't seem like it. There's no way a rich, comparatively famous guy would go to all this trouble just to sleep with some random single parent.

"Bleach? You're really trying to stump me, huh?" Brock plugs in the vacuum, and levels Phil with a wry smile. "You're a tough opponent, Boss." Phil shakes his head, and gets on with cleaning the shelves lining one of the walls as the vacuum roars into life.

"I believe your five minutes are long up." Phil says once the vacuum's shut off. Brock nods vaguely, coiling the cable back up around the handle.

"It is, but I think I've got one." He mutters, and stands up straighter. "Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach as I want you to be."

"Nirvana? Damn it, I was sure I was gonna get you with that one. You're too good at this game, Garbage Man." Phil laughs, heading back to where the cleaning supplies are stored.

"I play it at the rescue with the staff. Sasha and Bayley are masters, so I had to get good quick if I wanted to survive against them." Brock slides the vacuum back into its spot, and lets Phil close and lock the door. "So you ready to go, Boss?"

"Uh-huh, I think so at least." Phil casts a quick appraising look around the offices, and nods. "Looks good. Let's go. Thanks for helping me… You know you really don't have to."

"I know, but it's nice to have someone to talk to who has absolutely no expectations of me." Brock smiles awkwardly, and presses the elevator call button. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm planning on giving you lift home."

"Again you don't have to." Phil had in all honesty been expecting that offer, had almost been relying on it, because he wants to get home quickly, and the night bus isn't for another fifteen minutes.

"Don't have to, but I want to." Brock ushers him into the elevator, and pushes the button for the parking garage.

The ride to Phil's apartment building is filled with them continuing to play the silly game they had been whilst cleaning, and sees Brock continuing to beat Phil with annoying ease. Silently Phil resolves to actually try listening to music again rather than letting it fill the silences when he's not in the mood for a podcast.

"So I'll see you Sunday, right?" Brock says once they arrive, glancing over at Phil then back ahead out of the windshield. He looks incredibly nervous, and there's a part of Phil that's slightly confused by that. It seems very out of place that a man who punches people in the face for a living should be so nervous around him of all people.

"Yup. What time's good?" The smile that comes over Phil's face is surprisingly easy. He'd expected to still be in a miserably dejected mood when he got back home after the disaster that was his date, but Brock's cheered him up immensely.

"Uh, well we open at six, but around nine will be better. I should be in by then. The six crowd is usually the meatheads, not really the type to not try and hit on you… Unless you'd like to be hit on, but they'd probably be like the alpha who was only in it for sex." Brock's ears turn red once more, and Phil laughs softly. He's surprised that Brock even remembered him saying that hours ago. Most alphas don't really pay all that much attention to what he actually says.

"I'm not sure I'd mind being hit on, but you're probably right about their intentions." Phil chuckles to himself as he gets out of the car. "Thanks for the lift, Garbage Man. See you Sunday at nine."

"Sunday it is, Boss." Brock pulls away when Phil's opened the door to his building. Automatically Phil heads to his mailbox, opening it and pulling out his mail. There's the usual bills, flyers for fast food places, and one envelope addressed to him with handwriting he's not seen in years. The postmark is North Carolina, and he's sorely tempted to throw it straight in the trash. He's no idea what Jeff could want, and really isn't inclined to find out. It might be a birthday card for Seth, but if it is, it's the first in ten years.

"So, who's the alpha with the flashy car that gave you a ride home?" Dean's voice jolts Phil form his contemplations on what the hell Jeff could want. "I'm glad to see me being an ass didn't stop you from getting back on the horse." Dean sounds oddly rough, possessive almost, but Phil ignores him, and pushes the call button. The envelope is clutched in his hand tightly. He's no idea how Jeff found him, or what could be in this letter, but he probably should find out. "So who is he?" Phil pushes the call button again hearing Dean coming closer to him, his heart speeding up a little at the edge in his tone. "Hey! I'm talking to you." Dean's hand lands on his shoulder and spins him around.

"And I'm ignoring you." Phil speaks quietly, staring up at Dean, his eyes wide. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest, irrationally terrified of Dean in that moment. It's hard to imagine the man in front of him as the same one who he'd had coffee with earlier in the day, but it's very easy to imagine him as Jeff in the midst of a drug binge. A few seconds pass before Dean quickly snatches his hand back, looking horrified with himself. He stumbles a step back, his eyes wide, his mouth flapping like a fish out of water a few times.

"I'm sorry." He breaths the words, his face ashen, his eyes downcast, and scurries away up the stairs leaving Phil alone.

"It's okay. You're okay. Get in the elevator, go home, and forget about this." Phil mumbles to himself, telling his heart to slow down. Nothing happened, and nothing is going to happen, not again. He swore that to himself the day he left that trailer in North Carolina. Never again will he be afraid of an alpha, never again will any of them have that power over him. It seems like he had a lucky escape when it came to Dean though. That glorious smile seems to have been hiding something darker, probably at least, because for all Phil's heart is pounding Dean's scent is lingering in his nostrils. Dean's scent which is as glorious as his smile.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Rebellecherry** **, alizabethianrose, ambroserollinsgirl, Fantoome and caylender.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2016/09/01_**

 _If you've any questions feel free to send me a message and ask._


	5. Chapter 5

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Big E/Kofi), Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

Thankfully, Seth's not awake, or at least he's in his room. The living room is empty, and the lights are out. There's a strip of light coming from under Seth's bedroom door, and Phil's relieved that his son isn't here to see him. His breathing might be under control, but his heart still feels like it's trying to escape out of his chest. He can hear it pounding in his ears.

"You're okay, dumbass." He murmurs to himself, and heads to the kitchen. He'd decided in the elevator that a cup of tea would calm his nerves after that encounter with Dean, and steel them for this letter from Jeff. He's no idea what Jeff could want, but knowing him it won't be something nice like a birthday card for Seth. It'll be something awkward, or painfully, or both. Phil flicks the kettle on, and makes himself a cup of tea.

"Papa?" Seth creeps out of his room, and takes a seat at the table. "You look pale. Are you okay?" Phil nods rather than answers Seth's question, instead he focuses on pouring hot water into his cup. "Are you sure?"

"We got mail." Phil sets the letter on the table, and sits opposite his son. Seth's glaring down at the envelope.

"That's from Dad then?" Seth pokes at the envelope, his glare not letting up. Phil nods once more, and sips cautiously at his tea. "What is it?"

"I dunno." Phil answers with a shake of his head, and a shrug of his shoulders. For a long time, there's only silence between them. Seth scowling at the envelope, and Phil staring at the wall behind Seth's head. He should open that letter. His ex might need something important, and he should find out what it is as soon as possible.

"I think we should burn it. He's done nothing for us in years, and if he wants _us_ to do something for him, then fu- _forget_ him." Seth starts blushing at his aborted swear word, clearly expecting some kind of reaction from Phil, but Phil feels too washed out to chastise him. He stopped himself, so that's enough.

"Maybe… But we should at least find out what he says." Phil takes the letter up, and opens it up. Phil pulls out a single sheet of paper with one writing on one side.

 _ **Phil,**_

 _ **It's Jeff. I'm just writing to let you know that my dad's died. I don't know if you or Seth will want to come down for the funeral, but it's on June 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **.**_

 _ **Happy Birthday Seth. I hope you're looking after your papa.**_

 _ **Best wishes Jeff.**_

There's a birthday card in the envelope as well. Phil pulls it out with an eyebrow raised. Seth meets his eyes.

"What was that? I don't even really remember his dad. Why would I want to go to his funeral?" Seth scoffs, and Phil shakes his head, then rubs his eyes.

"He loved his dad. This must be hard on him." Phil sighs, and buries his face against his arms. He can't imagine how hard this must be for Jeff. He and his dad were always so close, and to lose him must be terrible.

"Papa, I literally don't care. He hurt you. He legally signed me away. I do not care what happens to him." Seth sounds sharp and cold like fragments of ice. Phil lifts his head from his arms, and stares at his son.

"He's still your dad, Seth." It lacks any kind of conviction, Phil knows that, but he feels like he should say it all the same. Seth's feelings regarding his father are complicated, sometimes he wants his father in his life, and other times it's like this.

"I don't care, Papa." Seth repeats, and reaches over the table to grab Phil's hands. "You're the only family I have, and the only family I need." He grins, and Phil presses a kiss the back of one of Seth's hands.

"Go on to bed, Sethie." Phil mutters, rubbing his eyes. Seth's chair scraps over the floor, and then comes around the table. He presses a kiss to Phil's hair, and hugs him tightly.

"G'night Papa." Seth smiles at him, and then taps the envelope that's addressed to him. "Should I open this now?"

"It's not your birthday yet, brat." Phil laughs at him, and rests his hand on the envelope. "You can open it tomorrow."

"It's probably a card, and that's it." Seth huffs, and hugs Phil once more. "But fine, whatever. G'night Papa." Seth shuffles off to bed, leaving Phil sitting at the table. He considers opening the birthday card, but decides against it. He considers the note once more. There's a phone number scrawled on the bottom of it with a little post-script note.

 _ **Phil call me, please.**_

He doesn't want to talk to Jeff, he's no desire to talk to Jeff at all, but he did say please.

 _Jeff, this is Phil. I'll message you, but I will not call. I'm sorry about your dad. - sent_

He feels better for sending that message. He's not sure why, but he feels better for it. He owes Jeff nothing, and if anything Jeff owes him. It's not worth worrying about now. Today has been terrible enough without adding Jeff to the mix. He forces himself to his feet, and rinses his mug out. He's little doubt that any sleep he gets tonight will be hard won, and short so he should make a start at getting it.

In the morning, Phil's awoken by Seth slipping into bed beside him. He wraps his son up in a tight hug, and presses a soft kiss to Seth hair.

"Happy Birthday, kiddo." Phil squeezes him tightly, and Seth snuggles up to him. For a short while they lie in Phil's bed in silence, but then Phil remembers that they're supposed to be going to see Seth's best friend. "What you want for birthday breakfast?" Seth pulls away from him, and flashes Phil a huge grin. Every year Seth wants the same thing for breakfast on his birthday, and he will be highly surprised if it's not the standard pancakes.

"You know what I want, Papa." Seth slips out of bed, and grins at him. "C'mon! I told Xavier we'd be there for ten, and it's after seven already."

"Seven?" Phil groans, forcing himself out of bed. He feels like he'd just gotten into it really. "You think it's gonna take three hours to get ready, and to your friend's house?" Seth grins at him, and tugs on Phil's hand.

"C'mon, breakfast! My pancakes won't cook themselves, Papa." Seth laughs, leading Phil out to the kitchen.

"You want your presents now?" Phil smothers a yawn with his hand, and starts pulling out the pancake ingredients. He can hear Seth bustling around behind him, hopefully making some coffee. Phil has the feeling he's going to need all the coffee he can consume today.

"I have presents?" Seth sounds confused, and Phil laughs at him.

"One of the lawyers I clean offices for gave me a card, your Uncle Colt and his kids, a little thing from me, and that card from your dad." Phil forces a smile to his face, and fetches the few gifts. Seth looks very confused by the card from Paul, and tears it open whilst Phil makes the pancakes.

"Fifty dollars for the kid of the cleaner? Papa, is this lawyer single? Maybe you should start looking to date him." Seth laughs, and waves the iTunes card in Phil's face. "I don't even know what I'll spend that much on."

"You can rent that movie I wanted to watch." Phil laughs, and Seth sticks his tongue out at him. "Pass me a plate will you?" Seth sets a plate down by the stove, and picks up the envelope from Colt.

"Another fifty? Can Uncle Colt afford this?" Seth's caught his bottom lip between his teeth, looking very concerned.

"Of course he can, he wouldn't have given it to you if he couldn't. Is it another iTunes voucher?" Phil has no idea if Colt can afford that, but he knows his friend well enough to know that he loves Seth like his own, and would be offended if his generosity was questioned.

"Nope, straight up cash." Seth sounds thoughtful.

"What you gonna buy with it?" Phil flips a pancake onto the plate, and levels his son with an amused smile. Seth shakes his head, and pockets his money.

"No idea, Papa. The actual present is from you?" He taps the wrapped gift.

"It's not much, but…" Phil trails off, and starts the next pancake. Seth starts tearing the wrapping paper off his gift, and then suddenly wraps Phil in a tight hug. "I don't know if it's the right size, but I figured you'd need something to wear tomorrow." Inside the present is a small collection of clothes suitable for wearing to the gym. Seth's real present will be the self-defence lessons he asked for, but Phil had decided that he wouldn't send his son dressed in hand-me-downs, or old gear.

"It's awesome Papa." Seth squeezes him tightly again, and beams at him. "When are we going tomorrow anyways?"

"Brock said around nine-ish would be the best bet." Phil flips out another pancake for Seth, and starts on one for himself. "Here you go. Eat up, kiddo." Seth presses a kiss to Phil's cheek, and takes his pancakes to the table. "Don't you want to see what your father's saying?" Seth shakes his head, and starts eating.

"You can open it if you want, but I don't want anything from him. He's done nothing for me for years, and I don't want him starting now just because his father's dead." Seth mumbles around his food, his attention squarely on his phone. Phil sighs, and takes his breakfast over to the table.

"Seth… He is your father." He pushes the envelope to Seth, and taps on it. "You should at least look."

"Why? You hate him, I hate him-"

"He's your dad." Phil mutters, and starts eating. He's not really sure why, but he's sure Seth will regret not opening this envelope. Seth sighs dramatically, and pulls it open.

"It's a card. It says happy birthday Seth, and there's a twenty. That's it." Seth pockets the money, and tosses the card down. It looks too childish for Seth, and for a moment Phil wonders if Jeff's forgotten how old Seth actually is. In all honesty, he wouldn't be surprised if he had, Jeff never was too good at remembering things. The inside of the card really does just say happy birthday, no from dad or even from Jeff, just happy birthday Seth. Phil sighs softly, and props the card up. "You ever gonna tell me why you left him, Papa?"

"It wasn't meant to be." Phil offers quietly, and keeps eating. It's the most honest answer he can give Seth. There's no way he wants to get into Jeff drug fuelled rages, and his cruelty. It's the most honest truth there is really. Their relationship wasn't meant to be. It was too much, too young, and that's all there is to it.

"You know, I'm old enough to know the truth… Did he hit you?" Seth's propped his head up on his hand, staring at Phil thoughtfully.

"Would it even matter? We're divorced, and he signed away his parental rights. It didn't work out, and that's all there is to it." Phil forces a smile to his lips. "So, I'll finish this up, do the dishes, jump in the shower, and then we can away to your friend's house. Do you want to take your cake?"

"I have a cake?" A gleeful smile spreads over Seth's face. "Is it one of Sami from the diner's?"

"It is. Your Uncle Colt bought it." Phil finishes up his pancake quickly, and starts in on his cup of coffee in earnest.

"Sweet! Is it chocolate?" Seth's all but bouncing in excitement over the prospect of his cake. He's very fond of the diner's chef's baking, but to be fair he's a fine baker.

"I couldn't possibly spoil the surprise, kiddo." Phil laughs, and pours himself another coffee. "Eat your breakfast before it gets cold. Do you need to shower?"

"Yeah… I go while you're doing the dishes." Seth polishes off the last of his pancakes, and springs to his feet.

"Hey, Seth." Phil calls out as Seth's making his way to the bathroom. He turns to look at Phil. "Happy birthday." Seth nods slightly, and comes bounding over to hug Phil tightly.

By the time Phil's finished drying the dishes, Seth's left the bathroom and gone back to his bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Phil elects to just dress in the bathroom to save time, so he grabs his clothes, and then gets into the shower. His mind is a churning mess. Thoughts of Jeff fighting with the memory of Dean's hand on his shoulder last night. He'd promised himself he'd never be afraid of an alpha again, but he had been last night. He'd been terrified of what could have happened.

"You ready yet, Papa?" Even on the other side of the bathroom door, Phil can hear Seth practically bouncing. It's nice that he's so excited to do nothing but spend some time at his best friend's house, but really Phil still feels mildly shaken. He'd not slept well. His dreams were disjointed. and unpleasant. He vaguely remembers hands around his throat, and the scent of an alpha in his nose. He'd had dreams like this in the past, but not for a long time.

"You're okay." He meets his own eyes in the mirror. "Just a dream." He turns away from his reflection, and finishes getting ready. "Shall we go then?" He asks once he's left the bathroom to find Seth ready to go.

"C'mon!" Seth grabs his hand, and drags him over out of the apartment, fidgeting from foot to foot as Phil locks the front door. He's takes off to the elevator once Phil's locked it, and presses the call button repeatedly. "It's not far, so it'll only take like five minutes to walk.

"Uh-huh." Phil's only half paying attention. His mind refuses to settle down, and he's getting sick of it. He should probably call Colt for a bitching session, but it's the weekend so Colt'll be twice as busy as normal. The elevator doors open, and Phil's heart stops for a moment. Inside the elevator is Dean. His eyes widen, and he looks about ready to say something when Phil grabs Seth's shoulder and turns him towards the stairwell. "C'mon, you can work some of this excess energy off on the stairs." Seth glances over at him, then back at Dean. Something must have clicked, because he takes off down the stairs. Dean's mouth flaps open and closed once, but the elevator doors close, and Phil follows his son.

"That was the guy you went to coffee with, huh?" Seth calls out as he makes his way down the stairs slowly.

"Yeah." Phil's repeating over and over in his head that he's okay, that there's nothing wrong, that this is Seth's day, and no alpha is going to spoil it.

"It went badly, I'm guessing." Seth says flatly, and Phil hurries to catch up to him. He takes Seth's hand, and smiles over at him.

"I don't need no alpha. As your Uncle Colt would say, I'm a strong, independent omega, and I don't need no alpha for nothing." Phil forces himself to laugh, and shoves Dean's scent to the back of his mind.

The walk to Xavier's apartment, Phil spends teaching Seth to play the game he'd played with Brock the night before. Seth takes to it like a duck to water, beating Phil with embarrassing ease. He thinks that Seth is going to like Brock when they meet tomorrow, and he's relieved by that, because of all the new alpha's Phil's met lately, Brock seems like the nicest. It's not what he'd expected when he'd first set eyes on the monstrously huge alpha, but Brock seems genuinely pleasant, and doesn't seem to want anything from Phil other than being allowed to empty some trash cans.

"Xavier's papa is called Kofi, I think you'll like him, Papa. His dad is Big E. It's a nickname, but it's like the most obvious nickname in the world. He's _huge_!" Seth laughs, and absently fixes Phil's outfit a little when they arrive in the hall outside the right apartment.

"Will you calm down, kiddo. You're literally just coming here to play videogames." Phil shakes his head. Seth is entirely too worked up over this, and he's not sure why.

"I _know_ , but Xavier's my best friend, and I want you all to get on, and be friends too." Seth takes a deep breath, and knocks on the front door. "It's important to me, Papa." Seth tacks that comment on quietly, and glances over at Phil.

"I'm sure we'll get on just fine." Phil squeezes his shoulder, just as the door in front of them is pulled open.

"Happy birthday Seth!" Xavier comes flying out of the door, and wraps Seth up in a huge hug, talking a mile a minute about things that go straight over Phil's head. In the doorway a huge alpha appears, a broad grin on his face.

"You must be Seth's papa, Phil." The huge alpha sticks his hand out, and shakes Phil's firmly. "C'mon in. These two will probably ignore us oldies." He ushers Phil inside, leaving the two kids still chattering and giggling at the front door. "I'm Big E, by the way."

"Seth said. Are you sure Big E is how I should-"

"It's my nick name, and trust me, I'm more comfortable with it than my real name." Big E laughs, and pulls out a chair from under the kitchen table. "Have a seat, Kofi'll be a here in a minute." Phil sits nervously, and finds himself glancing around the kitchen. It's far larger than his own, and there's a part of him that's jealous. The walls are painted in vibrant colours, and it looks like someone's home rather than the beige anonymity of his and Seth's apartment.

"Phil, right?" A slight, grinning omega takes the seat opposite Phil, and extends his hand across the table. "We've heard a lot about you from Xavier, all of it good before you worry." He laughs, and Phil shakes his hand easily. "So how's your morning been? The way our one's been behaving you'd think he'd not seen Seth for years, not the hours since school."

"Same. It's nice that they're such good friends." Phil offers quietly, and the omega opposite him laughs. "It's Kofi right?"

"Is indeed. I'm sure the other half has already introduced himself, and is probably considering when he can start feeding you." Kofi laughs, and Phil glances over at Big E. The huge alpha smiles awkwardly, and rubs at the back of his neck.

"My mama and papa brought me up right… So, some tea, coffee, soda, food? Anything at all?" He laughs, and Kofi rolls his eyes at him.

"Some ice tea would be lovely, darling." Big E nods, and is off fetching the tea before Kofi's even really finished his sentence. "He's one of those _new_ alphas, you know the type." Phil barks a laugh and shakes his head.

"I'm afraid I only run into the _old_ alphas." He sets his purse down, and settles into the chair more comfortably. He has the feeling he and Kofi are going to get along pretty well.

A couple of hours, and the whole tea jug later, Seth and Xavier interrupt the game of cards that Phil and Xavier's parents had been playing to pass the time. He's been having a surprisingly good time with Big E and Kofi. They're quick witted and funny. It's not often Phil sends time with anyone who isn't Seth or Colt, and there'd been a part of him that was worried that he'd be too boring, or too awkward to ingratiate himself with them, but all three of them seem to be getting along well.

"Papa?" Xavier tugs on Kofi's sleeve, a slight smile on his face, and Phil can't help but wonder what's up with the kids.

"Hmm?" Kofi doesn't turn from his hand of cards, instead he lays one down and takes another drink from his tea.

"Can we have some snacks?" Xavier barely finishes his sentence before his dad is on his feet, and rummaging in the fridge.

"I want one like that, Kofi. Where do you find alphas this well trained?" Phil laughs, and Kofi grins at him.

"I told you, one of those _new_ alphas. Go for a younger alpha and suddenly life is much better." Kofi laughs, and gestures towards Big E's face down cards. "Play for your dad will you, Xavi?" Xavier takes up his father's hand of cards, and shows Seth. The pair start whispering conspiratorially.

"You two have been having fun?" Phil pokes Seth's shoulder, drawing his son's attention to him.

"Uh-huh. Although I think Xavi is going easy on me." Seth grins at Phil, comes a little closer to look at his cards. "You wanna play with us, Papa?" Phil laughs, and shakes his head.

"I'd lose. I'd lose horribly." Phil laughs, and ruffles Seth's hair. Seth ducks out from under Phil's hand with a little scowl, and turns to Kofi.

"You'll come play, Kofi?" Seth smiles brightly, and Kofi laughs as he gets to his feet.

"Oh, you have asked for it now little omega! I am the queen of beat-em'ups!" Kofi flashes a grin at Phil. "C'mon, Phil. You and me can take on these little monkeys." Phil finds himself getting to his feet, and following along behind Kofi. Seth's started jabbering excitedly about the game he and Xavier are playing, and Phil finds himself nodding vaguely. "We're gonna be a team, Phil." Kofi says once they've sat down on the large sofa in the living room. The majority of one wall is dominated by a large TV with several different games consoles plugged into it. On the screen there's a character selection screen for some game Phil doesn't recognise. "Lemme tell you what buttons to press." Kofi gives him a crash course, and Big E appears with a huge platter of snacks. "I bonded with a good one, huh?" Kofi laughs, and nudges Phil lightly.

"You really did… Does he have a brother?" Phil laughs back, and Big E seems to blush as he takes a seat on the floor at Kofi's feet.

"I don't, but I could fix you up with one of my gym buddies." He barks a laugh, and snags something from the platter. "Please try the muffins, they're Kofi's finest creations, and riddled with protein."

"Da, Pa! Can we please focus on Sethie and me beating Pa, and what should I call you Messer Brooks?" Xavier turns to Phil with his most adorable smile. It's easy to see both his parents in him, he's got his dad's easy smile, but his pa's quick wit. He really is a good friend for Seth.

"Phil's fine, Xavier." Phil shrugs, and takes one of the muffins. At the first bite he resolves to get the recipe from Kofi, because they're delicious.

"Alright, alright. Phil, you ready?" Kofi turns to him with a grin.

"Nope, not in the least, but I'm sure it's rude to keep the birthday omega waiting any longer." Phil crams the last of the muffin into his mouth with a grin.

"They're good, aren't they?" Big E chuckles, and Phil nods. "My advice is that one." He gestures to the screen as Phil's selecting his fighter. He takes Big E's advice, and manages to not lose horribly the first time, although that's mostly because Kofi is incredibly good at videogames. Phil plays a few more rounds, but eventually retires from active play, letting Big E take over.

 _Will you come Phil? – Jeff_

The message arrives at around lunchtime. Kofi had insisted that they stay for lunch, and Phil hadn't been able to deny Seth the opportunity to spend more time with his friend. Phil had ended up in the kitchen helping out Big E, much to the alpha's confused delight. He seemed to enjoy having someone to talk to whilst working away. Phil had learned that Kofi was a videogame designer, and that Big E was mostly a stay at home dad, or at least he had been when Xavier was younger. Now he's getting back into the bodybuilding world, and trains out of Brock's gym because it's so nearby. Phil finds himself pumping Big E for information on Brock, and the omega who might be training Seth, Charlotte. According to Big E, Charlotte is disciplined, and expects her students to be as well. She does have a wonderful sense of humour though, is great with kids, and is very friendly. She sounds like she'll be a good teacher for Seth, if only Phil can afford her services. On the subject of Brock, Big E had less to say. Brock is apparently very quiet, and tends to keep very much to himself. He generally doesn't socialise much, but he is apparently ridiculously strong, and terrifyingly dangerous, so much so that Big E all but refuses to believe Phil when he tells him about Brock's fondness for emptying bins.

 _Will you come Phil? – Jeff_

Phil's stared at the message repeatedly over the course of the afternoon, his mind refusing to process it properly. He can't quite believe the nerve of Jeff to ask such a thing of him. He can't afford to just up and go to a funeral, and even if he could why would he want to?

"So, I know we're not good friends, but my son is apparently very attached to yours, so I feel like we should be." Kofi says as Phil makes his way out of the bathroom later on in the afternoon. Phil nods slightly, and follows Kofi to the kitchen. "Take a seat." Kofi sits down opposite him, and smiles at him.

"What?" Phil smiles back awkwardly, and fidgets in his chair.

"You've been distracted for the last few hours, and I was wondering if you needed a chat?" Kofi gets up, and pours out two cups of iced tea. Phil takes one, and sighs softly.

"Seth's dad's father died, and my ex is asking if I'm going to the funeral." Phil says it quickly, and quietly. Kofi nods vaguely, and sips at his tea.

"Messy break up?" He asks, and Phil nods once. "I know all about those… My first bonding ended in a disaster… Xavier's older brother lives with his father… It's… It's frustrating, but me and Big E are good, and Big E and Darren get along well… I think it threw Big E when he found out I had a beta son at first, but he's so… I got lucky with this one, that's for sure." Kofi chuckles, and Phil sits very still, trying to process what he's just heard.

"I…" Phil laughs awkwardly, and Kofi looks at him in confusion. "I've no idea what to say." Phil clarifies, then laughs again. "I'm sorry your first bonding broke down, but I'm happy you got Big E… He really seems like one in a million.

"He is! Always go for a younger alpha, they're so much better." Kofi chuckles, and shakes his head. "Titus and I met in high school, I got pregnant too young, and then I was too busy for a family. By the time I met Big E I was _ready_." Kofi smiles brightly, and sips at his tea. "Darren's a few years older… Twenty next year, and he _loves_ having a little omega to hang out with."

"It's good they get along." Kofi nods at Phil's words. "It's been just me and Sethie for the last ten years, and I just don't want anything to do with his father… It… He was a drug addict, he used to beat me, it was… It was a mess, and I'm much better off out of it. _Seth's_ much better off out of it, but he loved his father, and I still…" Phil trails off with a sigh.

"Feel obliged somehow? It's stupid, isn't it? I felt the same way for years towards Titus, but eventually I just stopped. He doesn't have any hold over me. The only thing in common we have is our son." Kofi laughs, and drains his tea.

"Jeff and I don't even have that. He signed away parental rights in the divorce." Phil laughs, and drains his tea too. "I just don't know what to do about it though."

"It's hard, isn't it? Bloody alphas… All of them but my Big E make a strong case for going gamma." Kofi laughs, and Phil starts cackling along with him.

"I think I need to introduce you to Colt… I have the feeling the two of you would get along." Phil wipes a tear from his eye, and smiles brightly at Kofi. "Wanna kick our kid's asses?"

"Let's go, Phil! Let's go." Kofi laughs, and leads the way.

At dinner time, they head out to the nearby pizza place. Phil's surprised by how much he likes Kofi and Big E, but he's not complaining. His circle of friends is painfully small, and any addition to it is more than welcome. After dinner, the two families go their separate ways, with Phil swapping phone numbers with Kofi, and making vague plans to have coffee next Friday. Phil's already decided that he's going to introduce Colt to Kofi. He really does think that the pair of them will get along like a house on fire.

Once they're back home, Phil and Seth spend a few hours watching movies rented from iTunes on Seth's laptop with the card from Paul. It's a nice end to the day, and once Phil's tucked Seth up in bed, he can't help but feel stupidly proud of himself for it. It's days like this that make the pain and hardship Phil's been through worthwhile. Days where he knows Seth's had a good time cancel out any of the miseries Phil's faced in the last week.

 _Will you come Phil? – Jeff_

 _No. – sent_

He's thought about this all day after his talk with Kofi, and he's finally come to that decision. He's not going to Jeff's father's funeral. There's no way he can afford to take time off work, and in all honesty he doesn't want to. Before the divorce Jeff's father had been great, but as soon as the end of his bonding to Jeff had cleared, Phil had heard nothing from him. He's no interest in going to a funeral for an alpha he no longer knew.

"Hey Papa?" Seth pokes his head around Phil's bedroom door, a sleepy little smile on his face. Phil waves him in, and moves over in his bed to let Seth lie down.

"What's up kiddo?" Phil pulls the covers down, then back up once Seth's settled comfortably beside him.

"I had a great time today, like this was one of the best birthday's ever, and I'm super excited for tomorrow." Seth yawns, and cuddles up close to Phil. "You're the best papa in the world." He smiles up at Phil, and closes his eyes. "Did you have fun?"

"I did." Phil starts stroking Seth's hair absently. In this moment Phil's happier than he's been in months. He loves these quiet moments of just him and Seth, happily together without any outside interference. "Kofi and Big E are really nice… I liked them a lot, and you know I love little Xavier. He's a good friend for you."

"Xavier's the best. I'm glad you like him, Papa." Seth yawns, and snuggles up some more. "Can I stay here tonight?"

"Sure." Phil flicks off his bedroom lamp, and settles down to sleep as well. For the first time in days, sleep comes to him easily.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Rebellecherry** **, ambroserollinsgirl, takers dark lover and caylender.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2016/10/15_**

 _If you've any questions feel free to send me a message and ask._


	6. Interlude: 01

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Mild Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

 _Taking Over the Asylum Episode 132_

 _Dean: It's Friday, we have no social lives, and neither do you. So welcome to another episode of Taking Over the Asylum. I'm your host, Dean, and I'm joined as always by the kitten that thinks he's a sabre tooth tiger, Tom Phillips. Say hi to the audience, Tom._

 _Tom: Hello to all five of you. On this week's episode..._

 _Dean: We breakdown latest brain farts of Congress._

 _Tom: We hear more on the ongoing mess that is Dean's love life._

 _Dean: And to cheer you all back up again we have a word from everyone's favourite hellfire and brimstone asshole, Pastor AJ Styles. But first! Tom has a tale of two kitties._

Dean rubs his eyes, before groaning as he slides the earphones from his head. Recording the podcast is usually the highlight of the week, but this week has been rough. He's never been this bad at trying to start a relationship before. He's never been so back-footed by an omega, but Phil seems to have him on it constantly. Tom looks over at him with a slight smirk.

"So… You wanna talk about it off air? I mean the podcast was enlightening, but I'm happy to lend an ear without the mics being on." Tom takes a sip of his coffee, and Dean shakes his head. It's not that he doesn't want to talk about the mess he's made with Phil, but he's not sure that Tom will understand. He's been Dean's friend for years, and he knows a lot about him, but Tom's an omega. Omegas have had to deal with alpha's bullshit for millennia. Dean's just one stupid alpha trying to understand how to an omegaist. He's been fighting the good fight for equality for years, but sometimes it feels like his biggest opponent isn't the people he rallies against on his podcast, radio show, or articles, but himself.

"I fucked up. Seriously, I do nothing but fuck up with him. How the fuck do I always fuck up with the ones I actually like?" Dean takes a long drink, and levels Tom with a heavy gaze. "He's got a kid."

"A kid?" Tom raises an eyebrow, taking a sip of his own coffee. "That didn't come up in the record."

"No, it didn't, and he won't again… It doesn't seem fair to keep using him for a segment." Dean grabs his mostly empty whiskey glass, and drains the last of it. "I've been talking about him for what… Two months now?"

"About that at least… Was way back on episode one-twenty-something he first came up I think… I'll miss tales of the omega who smells better than a good single malt." Tom laughs, and smiles softly over at Dean.

 _Taking Over the Asylum Episode 123_

 _Dean: A new omega moved in downstairs._

 _Tom: Oh?_

 _Dean: Yeah… You know when you don't really see someone, but you catch a whiff of them? That little tickle of their scent catches in your nose, and it just lingers…_

 _Tom: What like a good scent, or a bad one?_

 _Dean: A good scent! The best kind of scent! Like fresh baked bread, or really good coffee, or an aged single malt._

 _Tom: You're comparing this omega to whiskey?_

 _Dean: Good whiskey! The expensive kind that comes in a cardboard tube as well as a bottle. Real top shelf stuff._

 _Tom: I'm sure they'd be flattered… You're bringing this up because?_

 _Dean: Because I like to think of myself as a good modern omegaist, you know all the omega rights bullshit I spout, but as soon as I saw him, it was like those instincts that I claim alphas should be able to master kicked in._

 _Tom: What you beat him over the head, and dragged him into your apartment for a good old fashioned rut? I hope you gave his father enough shekels._

 _Dean: No! But I was thinking about it… Definitely thinking about it…_

"Maybe he wasn't the one." Tom offers, sipping at his coffee again.

"He's not now." Dean groans, and pours another shot into his glass. "Every time I'm near him... It's like my brain short circuits."

"Ah… Well you know they say love makes you do the wacky." Tom laughs again, getting a sharp glare from Dean.

"Don't quote Buffy at me. I'm serious. I've always thought that that stuff about ruts, and pheromones was just bullshit, but I can't think around him." Dean rubs his eyes, and groans. "It doesn't matter anymore though, because I fucked up."

"What happened?" Tom makes a grab for the whiskey bottle, and pours himself a shot.

"We went for coffee, and it was great right up to the moment he mentioned his kid." Dean drains his glass, and pours himself another drink.

"And?" Tom's sipping at his whiskey slowly, watching Dean like he knows where this is going. To be fair he probably does. Dean avoids dating single parents for the reason that he was raised by a single parent who had a revolving door of partners. Some of the would-be father figures weren't exactly pleasant, and Dean worries that he'd be more like them. It's really not Phil having a kid that's the problem, it's Dean and his ugly upbringing.

"And I froze. He smiled at me like he knew I was gonna do that, and left. He looked like he'd been hoping for me to be different, and I just proved I was the same. I spend all this time telling myself I'm different, that I've learned how to be reasonable, that I _am_ an omegaist, but in the end I'm no different to the alphas who catcall him on the way home." Dean shots what's left in his glass.

 _Taking Over the Asylum Episode 128_

 _Tom: So, Dean! I feel like before we go into the headlines we should find out what's got you in this weird mood?_

 _Dean: Weird mood?_

 _Tom: Yup, you've been sulking all week. The radio listeners have been commenting on it, which you'd know about if you ever checked the email._

 _Dean: That would require me doing more than remembering to bring my bottle of whiskey to the studio, and you've been working with me long enough to know that I don't do more than that._

 _Tom: There was that one time you forgot even that… And then there's the live recordings where the listeners just bring you drinks all night._

 _Dean: Shout out to my homie Big Dog down in Florida! Next time the shots are on me, dawg._

 _Tom: Quite… So, the mood?_

 _Dean: You remember the omega with the best smell ever?_

 _Tom: Vaguely… I'm sure he came up somewhere in the archive._

 _Dean: I can hear you thinking about plugging the , stop it. Anyway, I saw him again last night… He was just walking down the street, heading home, and I… I… I wanted to say something. I dunno, call out to him, but I didn't know how the hell to not sound like a creepy asshole, so I said nothing._

 _Tom: You're sulking because you didn't harass an omega on the street? That's a fucking weird thing to be annoyed about._

 _Dean: I know!_

"C'mon… It can't have been that bad, Dean. You just need to talk to him, explain about your childhood, and he'll understand. I mean, if he's the one then he'll understand." Tom's finally finished his whiskey, and pours another. "And if he's not the one, then none of this matters. He's a single papa, he'll be used to people bailing on him because of his kid."

"That's a shitty thing to say, Tom." Dean mutters, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag of the smoke. Technically he shouldn't be smoking in the studio, but the management don't seem to mind the bands who get stoned down the hall, so they can't mind the occasional cigarette, and if they do that's too bad.

"Shitty, but true. Being a single omega parent is basically confining yourself to a life of celibacy, or awkward one night stands." Tom waves his hand in front of his face for a second, before grabbing the cigarette packet, and lighting up a smoke of his own. "I'm supposed to be quitting, you know." Tom laughs, and Dean hides a wince.

"I know, me too." Dean mutters, blowing the smoke out, and contemplating the burning end. He's always liked smoking for the simple reason it's got reassurances that nothing else ever has. He knows that smoking will kill him, it's a shred of certainty in a world that's sorely lacking in it. "That's not the worst of what I did to him yesterday." Dean grabs the whiskey bottle, and takes a swig straight from it.

 _Taking Over the Asylum Episode 130_

 _Dean: I walked him home._

 _Tom: The Whiskey omega?_

 _Dean: Yeah… There were three alphas following him home, and I literally white knighted him._

 _Tom: Well… That was nice of you?_

 _Dean: You know it wasn't. I basically treated him like a helpless moron. I violated his personal space, and I…_

 _Tom: You really beat yourself up over this omega._

 _Dean: He smells like the heaven we reasonable people don't believe in._

"C'mon then, spill. If it's gonna get it off your mind, then spill. What could be worse than blanking him because he's got a kid?" Tom levels Dean with an unimpressed expression. Dean shakes his head, and closes his eyes. Tom's a good friend, and he's probably not going to see the implications of that interaction at the elevator.

"I should stop drinking so much when we record, I'm gonna feel like shit tomorrow." He laughs, and stubs his cigarette out. He doesn't really want to tell Tom what happened with Phil last night at the elevators. It wasn't much of anything, but it was more than it should have been. Phil is his own person, and Dean had made it clear at coffee that he wasn't interested. Only Dean is interested, very interested, and he can't seem to help the mistakes he keeps making when it comes to this one omega. "I grabbed him."

"What?" Tom raises his eyebrow, a scowl on his face as he makes a grab for the whiskey. "Why?"

"I don't know." Dean mumbles, then shakes his head. He knows full well why he grabbed Phil. He was jealous. He saw Phil get out of that other alpha's car, and all Dean's mind screamed was _MINE_. He has not claim on Phil, but in that moment, his brain was telling him that some other alpha was sniffing around his omega, and he needed to make sure his omega knew he was Dean's. Phil had looked so scared, utterly terrified of him, but he didn't back down. Something, someone has hurt Phil, and Dean's not going to be the next in what he hopes is a short list of alphas Phil's scared of. "Because I'm an idiot, and he still smells like he should be mine."

"What?" Tom scoffs dismissively. "Bullshit. You don't get to decide who _belongs_ to you, asshole." Tom takes a swig of the whiskey he'd just been holding, clearly just keeping it from Dean. "You were a jerk to him, and now you wanna what? Bash him over the head, and rut him? C'mon Dean, you're better than this."

"I know!" Dean bounces to his feet, and starts pacing around the little studio. He is better than this. He's been making himself better than this for years. Years of working as a journalist, years of telling the stories of the oppressed, years of being the not the voice but the pen of those who need to have their voices heard, and he's as bad as the very people he hates. "He just-"

"Fuck that noise!" Tom's on his feet, and in Dean's face before Dean's really processed what's going on. "He's not to blame for your actions, you are. You're the one who grabbed him. You're the one who was a jerk to him. You're the one who white knighted him, and basically stalked him for months. He's done nothing but exist." Tom's breathing has sped up, his face flushed with alcohol. "We get blamed for all the shit you alpha bastards do, and all we do is exist. Fuck you, Dean. You don't get to claim to be an omegaist and then start a sentence with _he_ in that tone. You don't get to be an ally and then blame him for your actions." Dean stares at Tom, and takes a step away from him. He's never seen Tom so riled up before, but he can't blame him. Dean's acting like every one of those assholes they make jokes about for a living.

"I… I fuck up when I'm around him. I can't explain why, and I don't know what to do about it, but I love his scent." Dean slumps down the wall, and sits on the floor. He reaches a hand out to Tom. "Whiskey." Tom shakes his head, and grabs the bottle from the table. He sits down by Dean, and takes a swig from the bottle.

"You wanna crash on my couch tonight?" Tom doesn't look over at him, instead he's busy lighting two cigarettes. "I'm pissed with you, but I don't want you dying in a puddle of puke."

"Tom?" Dean takes a cigarette, and the bottle from him. He's no idea what he's going to do when it comes to Phil. He can't seem to get his head together when it comes to him, and Dean would like to be able to not be an asshole to him, but any chance he had was ruined Friday night. Phil had been afraid, and Dean won't let him be afraid again. If he feels anything for Phil that even comes close to love or desire, then he needs to stay away from him. Phil has his number, and if he wants to call or text he can. Otherwise, Dean's going to have to stay away, and probably look for a new place to live, because Dean swears he can smell Phil's delicate scent all over their shared apartment building. He can't live with that scent for much longer, not without compromising his ideals.

"Yeah?" Tom looks slightly tipsy as he turns to Dean. Dean takes a long drink from the whiskey bottle, and taps Tom's shoulder with it.

"Thanks… For the couch, for putting me in my place, for being my friend. You're the best co-host, producer, friend, back-up plan a fuck-up like me could have." Tom starts laughing at him halfway through the speech, but that's pretty much what Dean had been expecting. Tom knows him well enough to know that drunken conversations about emotions are too real, and as such Dean doesn't like them. Come tomorrow Dean will pretend to not remember any of this, and Tom will let him get away with all of it, because Tom is a good friend.

Dean heads home in the middle of Sunday afternoon. He'd spent the morning sleeping on Tom's couch, and had skulked home after Tom had fed him. The car that brought Phil home Friday night is pulled up front the apartment building, and Dean lingers around the corner out of sight of Phil and whoever the alpha driving is. Phil gets out of the car first, then goes around to the side. A younger omega gets out; a younger omega Dean guesses is Phil's son. He looks like his papa, he's got that same slightly delicate air about him that Phil has, but you can see his father in him too. Dean wonders if the alpha driving is Phil's ex. Phil's kid drags Phil up to the driver's side window, and says something to the driver. Phil laughs at something that's said, and Dean turns away, lighting a cigarette. He stays behind the corner until the car pulls away. This is for the best. He might want Phil, might be able to pick his scent up even now with him safely in his apartment, but Dean isn't the alpha he needs, so Dean will stay away like a good omegaist should.

 _Taking Over the Asylum Episode 132_

 _Tom: So… Your love life, Dean?_

 _Dean: I have no love life. I'm not… I made a mistake, a huge mistake, and I can't keep making them. You know when you think you've found the one?_

 _Tom: No, thankfully._

 _Dean: You will one day, Tom… I hope so at least, I don't wanna be your back-up plan._

 _Tom: Dean, you're not even your own back-up plan._

 _Dean: True._

 _Tom: You gonna finish your story so we can move on to listener emails?_

 _Dean: The one… Sometimes just because you've found the one for you, doesn't mean you're the one for them._

 _Tom: Better to have loved and lost?_

 _Dean: Better for him to have never been loved by me at all._

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Rebellecherry** **, Lovergyul, takers dark lover and caylender.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update will see a return to Punk's side of the story - 2016/10/29_**

 _If you've any questions feel free to send me a message and ask._


	7. Chapter 6

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

Getting up early is an unfortunate side effect of being mostly unable to sleep, so Phil finds himself far too awake, far too early come Sunday morning. There's a part of Phil that would rather stay curled up in bed with his son. Seth's hogging the blankets, and the space, but it's worth it to feel the warmth of him pressed along Phil's side. It's so rare these days, back when Seth was little, he'd always share Phil's bed, but now he's growing up. Still, as much as Phil would like to lie around in bed, cuddling his son, they need to get ready to head to Brock's gym.

Quietly, Phil drags himself out of bed, grabs some clothes, and heads to take a shower. It's probably still a little early, but by the time Seth's fed, watered, washed, and dressed it'll be time to go. Before Phil can make it into the bathroom his phone rings. He glimpses at the caller id.

 _Jeff_

A great deal of him wants to ignore the call, but there's always that little part that ignores common sense.

"Jeff?" Phil answers the phone with a sharp little hiss, keeping his voice low so he doesn't wake Seth up too early. There's a deep breath from the other side of the line, and a slow exhale.

" _I've not heard your voice in years._ " Jeff sounds like he's been crying, and a stupid, sentimental piece of Phil feels sorry for him, but it's easy to ignore.

"What do you want?" He heads to the bathroom, hoping that the walls are thick enough to keep Seth from hearing him.

" _I wanted to ask you to come to the funeral._ " Jeff takes another shuddering breath, clearly choking back tears.

"Why the fuck would I want to go? Your family cut all ties with me and Seth the day you threw away your rights to him. What the hell makes you think I care that your dad's dead? What the hell makes you think I give a single fuck about what's going on in your life? You've had nothing, _nothing_ to do with Seth and me for _ten fucking years_!" Phil takes a deep breath, willing his heart to slow down a little. "You don't get to try and fuck my life up again, you already did that once. You don't get to try and do it again."

" _I know… I just…_ " Jeff pauses. The sound of him blowing his nose quietly comes over the phone line. " _I wanted to extend the olive branch. My dad dying put a lot of stuff in perspective. I know I did wrong by you, Phil. I know I did wrong by our son-_ "

" _My_ son. You don't get to claim him. Seth is my son. I've raised him. I've fed him. I'm the one working two jobs to keep a roof over his head. You did nothing but donate some DNA." Phil finds himself pacing the bathroom, his eyes clamped closed against the tears he can feel building up in his eyes.

" _Phil._ " Jeff says his name softly, and Phil pulls the phone from his ear for a second, blinking his frustrated tears away. " _Phil, are you still there? Phil!_ "

"What? Why is it so important to you that I'm there? Why the fuck-"

" _It's important to my dad._ " Jeff interrupts Phil mid-rant. He's slightly grateful for that, because he has the feeling if he'd been left to rant on, he'd have woken up Seth.

"What?" Phil's beginning to wish Jeff would just finish saying what he wants, and stop winding Phil up like this. It's getting old, and annoying.

" _His will. He's named you as a beneficiary, and you have to be there for the reading._ " Jeff sniffles, and Phil finds himself glaring into the bathroom mirror. He'd like to punch it in lieu of punching Jeff square in the jaw. " _Before you ask, I don't know what he's left you, but it states you have to be there, or it can't be read._ "

"I'll see what I can do." Phil finds himself saying rather than what he wanted to say, which was fuck you. He hangs up, and tries to force what Jeff told him to the back of his mind, focusing instead on getting ready for Seth's trip to Brock's gym. Jeff is a problem that will keep; getting Seth ready is a problem for now.

"Hi! I'm Charlotte." A tall blonde female omega is the first person to greet them when they arrive at the gym. "Brock's told me a lot about you, Phil." She shakes Phil's hand, and then turns to Seth. Her smile gets bigger as soon as she looks at him. "You must be the birthday boy, Seth. I'm Charlotte." She shakes Seth's hand, and then claps him on the shoulder. "I have to admit, I'd no idea what to expect, but so far I'm pleased. This isn't going to be a lesson today, instead we're gonna to a whole bunch of exercising to see how you hold up, and then we can discuss different styles to train in. Okay?"

"Uh… Sure. What styles do you do?" Seth asks nervously, his hand twisting in his sleeve. It's a hand habit he's picked up from Phil. It's almost embarrassing to see so much of his younger self in his son.

"Oh sweetie! There is so much I can teach you! Let's get you ready, and then we can hit the gym, and see what you're made of." She wraps an arm around Seth's shoulders, and turns to Phil. "There's some benches you can sit on if you wanna watch, Phil." She gestures towards a set of doors, and ushers Seth off to the changing rooms.

Phil slips into the gym, and takes a seat near the door. Seth waves over to him when he and Charlotte enter. From this distance, Phil can't hear anything, but it looks like Seth seems to like Charlotte. It's a good thing, but if he really likes her, and he wants to keep coming back here, Phil's going to have to get another job.

"You wanna tell me what's up, Boss?" Phil jumps slightly as Brock sits down on the bench by him, and offers him a cup of coffee. Phil had been engrossed in watching Charlotte put Seth through his paces, hoping that he can get another job to pay for this because he's certain Seth's going to want to come back, and hadn't even heard Brock's approach. His heart rate spikes for a moment, but once he's processed what Brock said, and noticed the coffee he calms. He shakes his head, and offers Brock a slight smile.

"It's nothing to be troubling you with Garbage Man." Phil laughs softly, and Brock shakes his head absently.

"I'm a good listener… But if you don't wanna talk about it, I won't pry. My ma raised me better than that." Brock chuckles suddenly, and turns to Phil with a grin. "My ma always told me that male omegas are the worst when it comes to keeping things to themselves. She'd always have such trouble getting pa to open up. She said that it was something all male omegas did… Always worrying over everyone else, and never themselves."

"What was it like growing up with three parents?" Phil decides that completely changing the subject is the best thing to do, and it seems like Brock is going to let him. The big alpha leans back against the wall, and sips at his coffee.

"It was nice...ish. You could never get away with anything. If Ma didn't catch you in the act, Pa would just know about it somehow." A fond smile steals over Brock's lips. "I remember once I wanted to go at a school dance with this pretty little omega from town, but Da told me that I couldn't go, and Da's word was law. So, I pretended that I was going to friend's place to study. Pa drove me out there, and made me promise to be back by eleven. He just knew that I was going to be going to that party… He was a smart omega… I miss him." Brock rubs a hand over his face, and pulls his phone from his pocket. "That's him there beside my Da and Ma." The photo shows a very tall alpha, who is clearly Brock's father, and two omegas. The female is solidly built, her curves softening her obviously well-muscled frame, her face openly cheerful. The male is more delicate, his smile soft, his eyes are the same colour as Brock's. They look like a nice trio.

"He passed?" Phil asks softly, staring at the picture. He's sure he has no photos of himself with Jeff left. This almost makes him nostalgic for the time they were happy together, but the time they weren't comes snapping back to him sharply.

"Cancer… He smoked like a chimney, my Ma too… She passed about two months after him. Da's all on his own now. It's strange seeing him without them. It's like he's been shredded and he's no idea how to piece himself back together again." Brock sighs, and taps his phone screen, then selects another picture. "This is the whole Lesnar clan in our last full family picture. They made it to great grandparents before they passed… The little one in my Pa's arms is my niece's first born. Cute little thing."

"You don't have kids?" The picture Brock's showing him has an almost unimaginable number of people in it. They all look very similar; the pale blond of Brock's father is very common in the family.

"Nope. I've never met the right omega to settle down with. They were so happy together that I don't want to just get bonded for the sake of bonding, you know?" Brock locks his phone screen, and slips the device back into his pocket.

"Was that a jab, Garbage Man?" Phil laughs, and Brock looks utterly scandalised. He starts sputtering apologies, but Phil waves him off. "I'm joking, I'm joking." Phil watches Seth a moment longer. Charlotte's pushing him hard, sweat's running down his face, but he's grinning like a mad man. He's clearly having fun. "His father called." Phil half expects Brock to say something, but the big alpha just drains the last of his coffee, and looks over at Phil. "His father died… Jeff. My ex is called Jeff, and his father died. He wants me to go to the funeral. I told him to fuck off. Well, not in so many words, but that was the essence. Then he tells me that his dad's left me something in his will. I don't care what, but there's instructions that the will can only be read if _all_ beneficiaries are there." Phil laughs softly, and shakes his head. "I'd thought that maybe he wanted to make things right between us. I had thought he'd changed, and then he lays that on me. Asshole hasn't changed in the least. He's still the self-centred piece of shit I bonded." Phil laughs again, and an odd look crosses over Brock's face.

"Was he at last handsome?" He says suddenly, and Phil looks over at him. Brock smiles, and takes Phil's now empty coffee cup from him. "You have to have bonded him for some reason, and it can't have been his sterling personality." Phil bursts out laughing. Charlotte and Seth look over at him and Brock. "Sorry, I shouldn't tell your papa jokes. You're doing great, Seth. No matter Charlie says, you're in good shape. Although, if you want to make that a little harder, try lifting your knees higher." Seth nods sharply, and starts lifting his legs high as he jogs on the spot. He shots Phil a sharp look. It's a look that says _Pa you're embarrassing me_. Phil gets to his feet. "There's a juice bar upstairs." Phil nods, following Brock out of the little gym.

"Is he doing okay?" He asks as soon as the door closes behind them. Brock looks down at Phil, and nods.

"I said the truth. If he decides he wants Charlotte to train him, she'll be delighted. He's got a build like she did back when she was fighting. None of her three-"

"Wait! She's got kids?" Phil interrupts, surprised for many reasons to hear that Charlotte has even one kid, never mind three. It's rare for female omegas to have kids, not that they can't just that males are more fertile, so to hear that one like Charlotte has three is a surprise.

"Yup. Three little omegas. Dana's her oldest. She'll be graduating high school this summer. Then there's the twins Alexia and Tyler. They're about Seth's age I think. Charlie made bad choices young, and reared the results of that ever since… She used to dedicate all her fights to her kids… It's how she's paid for everything for them." Brock pushes open a set of double doors, and ushers Phil into the juice bar. "What you fancy?"

"I don't have the mo-" Phil cuts himself off before finishing that sentence. Brock was looking at him with a singularly unimpressed expression. "Your ma and pa really did raise you right, huh?" Phil laughs, and glances at the menu briefly. "Whatever you pick I'm sure'll be fine." Brock chuckles, and leaves Phil to find a spot to sit. He settles on a chair by a window that looks down on to the gym floor. Three kids. Phil has a hard enough time with one, but Charlotte's raised three. It might be that Phil's in the wrong profession, maybe he should consider this cage fighting thing himself.

"They're getting on like a house on fire, huh?" Brock sets a cup down in front of Phil, and settles on the chair beside him.

"They are… We're gonna have to talk fees, and before you say anything I am paying." Phil smirks over at Brock. Brock nods absently, and sips at his drink, his eyes on Phil. "I'm gonna need to get a third job, aren't I?" Phil gestures around the gym. "This place looks expensive."

"Depends on who you ask really… And why you're here. The meatheads, I charge more. The yoga omegas I charge less, and Charlie's classes are aimed at the neighbourhood omegas, so they're a lot less." Brock sets his cup down, and leans back in his chair. "Being able to protect yourself is important, and I want to make sure that every omega in the neighbourhood can. The crime stats make uncomfortable reading." Brock shakes his head, and sighs.

"You continue to surprise me, Garbage Man." Phil grins over at him, and sips at his drink. "This is good!" The drink is absolutely what he'd have ordered if he'd looked at the menu properly.

"I figured." Brock smirks, and raises his cup to bump it against Phil in toast. "You wanna try the protein laced gloop I'm on? It's vile." Brock takes another drink, and pulls an exaggeratedly disgusted face.

"That good, huh? Well, I'm glad you got me something nice." Phil takes a long slurp with his straw.

"Only the best for you, Boss." Brock's ears turn crimson as he speaks, but he doesn't look away from Phil. "Sorry, that was a lot more… Uh… Sleazy than I meant it to be… My Ma and Pa did me some good raising, but my Da never did tell me how he talked them into bonding." Phil laughs, and shakes his head.

"Hey, you told me you only sleep with omegas, and aren't looking for a relationship, don't forget that." Brock barks a laugh at Phil's teasing comment, and bumps his cups against Phil's once more.

"I suppose I did… You're not a one night kind of omega, Boss, I know that. So don't worry." Brock's quiet for a little while, his gaze turned out to the gym. Phil watches Seth working out, his mouth moving rapidly, clearly asking Charlotte all manner of questions. He looks happy. Phil's going to have to find out how much lessons are going to cost soon. "You don't mind me flirting, do you?" Brock says suddenly, he's still looking out at his gym, but Phil has the feeling this is a more important question than the big alpha would like to admit.

"I don't. I like it actually. I don't get much opportunity to talk to alphas who aren't looking to get into my bed. I'm glad you like emptying trash cans so much." Phil nudges Brock in the side once, getting a chuckle from him.

"I used to empty the trash at home. It was one of my chores. It's silly, but it reminds me of my Pa." Brock drinks again, and shakes his head lightly. "I'm glad I like emptying the trash too." Brock turns to Phil with a smile, and slides a flyer over the table to him. "We leave the prices on the tables up here. Self-defence classes are on the other side. If it's more-"

"I can take a third job." Phil mutters, reading the price list and mentally calculating what he can do without to cover the cost. Brock makes a noncommittal noise, and Phil glances over at him. Brock smiles, and shakes his head.

"I'm saying nothing… But don't deny yourself seeing Seth growing up because you need to work. Paul E makes that mistake, and I don't want you to make it too." Brock shrugs, and returns to staring down at the gym. "You don't actually have to go to the funeral, right?"

"No I don't think so, just the will reading from what Jeff said, why?" Seth's stopped working out, and is talking animatedly to Charlotte. She's just as animated as she talks back. There are some things Phil can skimp on to be able to pay for lessons. They weren't as expensive as he'd feared, so it won't be too much of a belt tightening required to cover them.

"Skype then." Brock says softly, and finishes off his drink. "That way you'll be present, and you won't have to actually _be_ there. If it's legal, it'll save you the hassle." Brock's idea has some merit, and Phil

"I'll send him a message… I don't want to call him again. It was hard talking to him, you know?" Phil sips at his drink some more, looking at Seth, but seeing Jeff. He's never looked for his father in Seth, but in that moment, he can see too much of Jeff in the way Seth laughs so freely.

"I'm not just a pretty face." Brock chuckles, and Phil finds himself chuckling along.

"No, I guess not." Phil grins over at Brock. "Thanks, Brock."

"Nope problem, Boss." Brock smiles softly, and taps his empty cup against Phil's. "I'm not gonna be around this week, by the way… I'm going to a fight camp."

"Fight camp?" Phil looks over at him, and Brock nods absently. "You gonna tell me what the hell a fight camp is?"

"It's an intensive week of prepping for a fight." Phil had almost forgotten that Brock was a fighter. He never seems like he is when he's with Phil. He just seems like Phil's easily embarrassed big alpha friend. "I'm fighting a week today… I was supposed to go this morning, but I wanted to give you Seth's birthday present."

"Garbage Man. This better not be something ridiculous." Phil says it harshly, and Brock laughs. He sets two tickets down on the table.

"They're beside Paul. I'll understand if you don't want to come, but I'd love to let you see there." Brock smiles shyly, and blushes brightly.

"Are you any good?" Phil mutters, staring down at the tickets. He has the terrible feeling he's going to be going, only because he thinks this might be something Seth's going to get into.

"I'm champion, Boss. This is a title fight, and I thought maybe you'd like to see my work. Although, mostly, I've got the feeling that Charlotte's gonna want to get Seth into cage fighting, and I want him to see what it's like before he makes a proper decision." Brock fidgets awkwardly. "I don't want her to seduce him into it before he sees what it's like."

"What makes you think that he'd wanna get into it?" Phil watches down at Seth and Charlotte. Seth does look like he's enjoying spending time with her, and Phil's convinced that Seth is going to want to learn to follow in Charlotte's footsteps.

"He's your son, Boss." Brock laughs, and turns to Phil. "You're a stubborn omega, who does what he sets his mind to. You wanted to give Seth the best you can, and you do that every day. He's your son, Phil. If he didn't want to use it, he wouldn't have wanted these _defence_ lessons." Brock pats Phil's shoulder gently.

"You really are more than a pretty face, huh?" Phil laughs, and finishes off his drink. "How dressed up are we gonna have to be?"

"Kinda… I asked Paul if he could rent something though, and its part of Seth's present before you say anything." Brock adds it quickly, and grinning at Phil. "He'll come by to pick you guys up on Sunday at about five."

"You better win." Phil doesn't bother arguing. He knows he's going to watch this fight, and he knows that Seth's going to enjoy it, and he knows that one day Phil's going to be ringside for one of Seth's fights. He can see the path for Seth's future laid out.

"I'll try." Brock grins over at Phil. "You gonna wish me luck?"

"Luck is for losers, and you're gonna win, Garbage Man. Otherwise, I'm emptying the bins myself." Phil laughs. Seth and Charlotte have left the gym, and Phil gets to his feet. He knows that the rest of his day is going to be spent watching cage fights with Seth. He looks like he did when he was a kid, and would get a new toy at Christmas; eager, and desperate to play with it. "When are you leaving for this fight camp?"

"Soon as I'm done here. Why?" Phil smiles over at Brock, and offers him a hand to haul the big alpha out of the chairs he's sat in.

"Because I believe I owe you apple pie, and my son is going to be starving. C'mon, lemme get you lunch, then you can go off and practice punching faces." Phil hauls Brock up, and heads for the doors.

Lunch turns out to be a loud affair, with Seth seemingly enjoying having two cage fighters' brains to pick. Phil's beginning to think that perhaps Seth's been thinking about this for a lot longer than a week, and that self-defence lessons might have used as an acceptable cover to what he really wanted to be doing. Brock ends up giving them a ride back to the apartment building, and as silly as it is, Phil swears he can smell Dean's scent in the air. He might have to consider moving again, because he's not sure he can live in a building that smells of Dean for too much longer.

On Monday, he sends Jeff a message suggesting a Skype call for the will reading, and a reply finally comes on Wednesday, the day before the funeral. It simply says that Jeff spoke to the lawyers, and that Skype should meet the requirements. They have a stilted text conversation to set the date, and agree on the next Friday. So, Phil has a week to prepare for having to probably see Jeff, and his family again. It's not the best situation, but it's better than going to North Carolina.

Before he'd waved Brock off on Sunday afternoon, Phil had given him his phone number, or more accurately Seth had told Phil to give it to him. Brock had look as embarrassed as ever, and once Phil had given him the number, he had immediately sent Phil a text with Seth standing watch over it all. Phil hopes that Seth doesn't want him to date Brock, because that's not going to happen. Phil likes the huge alpha, but he's not Phil's type, and the more Phil talks to Brock, the more he realises he's not Brock's type. They make good friends though. Phil had made a little texting group with Brock and Colt to keep them both up-to-date on the Jeff situation, which had led to Colt quizzing Brock about who he was. In turn this led to Brock getting infinitely more out of Colt about the Cena situation than Phil would have alone.

Seth is stationed in the living room when Phil gets back from work most nights, watching Charlotte's various fights. He talks excitedly about how talented she was in the cage, and how Seth wonders if he'd ever be as good as her. Phil's torn on whether he's happy with the idea of Seth actually learning how to fight, but he seems so excited by the idea. Phil's not seen his son this excited about anything in years, at least not anything not related to Xavier, so that's something at least. He's watched a few of them with him, and in all honesty, Phil's pretty sure he's going to spend most of Sunday flinching every time Brock gets hit. Although, he's not seen one of Brock's fights yet, so the huge alpha might be incredibly good at not being hit at all.

Friday morning sees Phil heading over to Colt's work to visit his friend. He finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a pot of coffee, and the books for the Children's Home open in front of him. Colt looks up when Phil slumps into the chair opposite him, and offers Phil a slight smile.

"Everything balancing out?" Phil asks, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Colt shakes his head, and sighs.

"Probably, but I can't seem to make them." Colt laughs wearily, and picks up his coffee. "How's things? I've only been getting the same updates as _Brick_? Is that his name?" Colt picks up his pen and scribbles something down on the scrap of paper beside the books.

"Brock. Honestly, nothing much has been happening. I've been working in the diner, then cleaning Paul's offices, and then Brock talked Paul into giving me a ride home each night. So, nothing interesting has been happening at all." Phil smiles slightly, and Colt raises a dubious eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing from the date alpha? No apologies for being an ass? No encounters, nothing?" Colt scores out whatever he wrote, and starts writing something else.

"I've seen him a few times, but he always ignores me… There was something the night after though." Phil takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "He, uh… I mean it wasn't a big thing, not really."

"Punk." Colt doesn't look up from his scribblings, but his tone leaves Phil with no doubts that if needed Colt will force the information out of him.

"He just said something mean, and got my attention when I ignored him." Phil fidgets, and Colt levels him with a look. "He grabbed my shoulder and made me look at him, that's all-"

"He what?" Colt looks slightly furious, and Phil looks away from him. "Fucking hell, Punkers… Are you okay? Did it… I mean, that was the night that letter from Jeff arrived, wasn't it? It didn't bring back anything, did it?" Phil shakes his head, and smiles slightly.

"I'm fine." Another dubious look from Colt. "Really. I'm fine. It wasn't anything at all. Sure, I was a little freaked out at first, but I handled it, and now I'm fine." Phil forces a bright smile to his face, and Colt just looks at him. "I was thinking of maybe moving, but I don't think I can."

"Is it money? I can lend you some for a deposit. I've some saved up, and I know you'll pay me back." Colt reaches over the table and takes Phil's hands, clutching them tightly. "I want you to feel safe, and if moving house is what it takes, then moving house is what I'll help you do. I'm pretty sure the garbage man would help too. Why do you call this alpha the garbage man?"

"He likes emptying the trash." Phil laughs, and Colt shakes his head with a smile. "I can't move now anyway. Seth likes this apartment. It's close to Xavier, it's close to school, it's close to the gym. I still can't get over how into this whole learning to fight thing he is. He's always seemed like such a sweet nurturing little omega, and this fighting… It just doesn't seem like my baby." Phil frees his hands, and takes a drink from his coffee.

"I know, but he seems very into the idea. He was talking to me about it. Why I've no idea. I didn't even know they let omegas do that kind of thing. It seems like such an _alpha_ sport." Colt drains his coffee, and scowls down at his books. "I should have gotten that big dumb-ass to do these." He groans. Phil pours him another coffee, and chuckles.

"Things aren't going well?" Phil asks with a hint of glee in his tone. He's been talking to Brock privately about Colt's situation with the new alpha working with him, and Brock agrees that it seems like Colt might have a little bit of a crush.

"You read the messages too, Punkers." Colt snaps, and Phil snickers at him. "I'm being an ass, I know." Colt sighs, and sips at his coffee. "He really does wind me up though."

"I'm sure." Phil grins, and Colt taps him on the head with his pen.

"You and that garbage man are conspiring, aren't you?" Colt laughs suddenly, and grins at Phil. "You got a picture of him so I can see your new crush?"

"Crush? On Brock? _No_." Phil laughs, but does pull his phone out of his pocket, and pull up the picture that Seth had taken of all four of them at lunch on Sunday. "He's not my type at all. Look at him."

"He really isn't, is he?" Colt seems to be considering the photo carefully. "He's not bad looking though. How's his scent?"

"Like the countryside actually. It's nice and fresh, but does not make my panties wet before you say anything." Phil laughs, and Colt barks a laugh. "He's just a friend. I like hanging out with him. He's quiet, and way smarter than you'd think."

"I've noticed that in the group… I'm not sure I approve of how smart he is. You wanna go for coffee after your Skype call next Friday with him? I wanna met this country fresh alpha in the flesh." Colt polishes off his coffee once more.

"Coffee sounds good." Phil nods, and stands up. "I should head to the grocery store. See you later." Colt waves him off with a cheerful _bye_.

That night, as Phil's collecting his mail in the apartment building, there's a scrabbling at the front door. He looks up as the door is suddenly flung wide, and someone staggers in. Dean smells like he's been drinking, and he looks over at Phil with an expression that's an uncomfortable mix of misery, desire, and regret. He wobbles over to Phil, stopping about three feet away. He looks like he's concentrating very hard.

"I…I'm sorry." His words are slightly slurred, and Phil's not sure what to make of this. Dean's hands are resolutely shoved into his pants pockets, and he's definitely not coming any closer than he already has.

"For what?" Phil steps back a little, closer to the elevator doors. Dean doesn't move from his spot, instead he focuses down on the floor.

"For scaring you. For being a jerk. For being less than you'd hoped I'd be." Dean takes a deep breath, and looks up at Phil. "You're really pretty. You've got the best scent… It's even better than top shelf whiskey." Phil raises an eyebrow at him, and takes another step back. In this moment Dean's reminding, him too much of Jeff. Drunkenly apologising for his actions, telling Phil nice things to keep him docile. He's been in this situation too many times before.

"Okay. I'm going now." Phil reaches behind him, and presses the call button. Dean bites on his bottom lip, and stares down at the floor once more.

"I'm sorry for this. I'm sorry I'm still scaring you. I'm sorry… I have excuses, _lots_ of excuses, but I think I've blown my chances when it comes to you listening to them." Phil presses the call button again. Dean's taken a single step closer, and he wants out of this situation before it escalates. Dean takes three steps back, and looks up at Phil. "I know I've been an ass, and I'm sorry. I'll completely understand if you never want to see me again, but I'd really love to have coffee with you again sometime. So please think about it, okay?" The elevator dings, and Phil finds himself nodding slightly frantically as he gets into it, never turning his back to Dean. He won't turn his back for two reasons, one because he's scared, and two because the glorious smile is on Dean's lips.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **caylaender, takers dark lover, Fantoome** **, ambroserollinsgirl, and Rebellecherry.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2016/11/12_**

 _If you've any questions feel free to send me a message._


	8. Chapter 7

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

Saturday morning Phil's awoken by a knock on his door. A harried looking omega is standing on the other side of it. He offers Phil an awkward smile and his hand.

"I'm Paul's assistant, Tom. He sent me to take you and your son to get something to wear tomorrow night." Phil takes Tom's hand, shaking it once.

"Oh." Phil is suddenly very aware of the fact he's wearing nothing but his pyjamas, and that Seth is still in bed. "Umm…" Tom looks as embarrassed as Phil feels, and rubs at the back of his neck.

"I'm a little early… I wanted to make sure that we got it done. Mr Heyman was very insistent that we get this finished quickly so I didn't ruin your day." Tom pulls his phone from his pocket, and turns beet red. "Oh for! I'm _so_ sorry! I thought traffic would be worse than it was."

"What time is it?" Phil steps back, and holds his door open ushering Tom into the apartment.

"It's not even eight. I'm so sorry, I can come back in like an hour." Tom stays on the threshold, looking earnestly at Phil.

"It's fine. C'mon in. I'll get dressed, and make some coffee, then wake my son up." Tom glances nervously down the hall, towards the elevators.

"I've a friend who lives in this building… I can go bug him for a little bit. I don't want to intrude." Tom awkwardly smiles once more, and Phil concedes.

"Come by at nine, and we'll be ready to go." Tom nods, and heads to the elevators.

"Who was that?" Seth's sleepy voice jars Phil from watching Tom pressing the up button on the elevator panel.

"We're going clothes… Not shopping, but close enough." Phil shakes his head, and shuts the door. "We've an hour, so get ready quickly, and I'll make breakfast."

"Why are we going not clothes shopping?" Seth yawns, running a hand through his long hair. Seeing the crow's nest that is Seth's hair reminds Phil of why he usually keeps his in a braid when he sleeps. Neither he nor Seth are tidy sleepers, and tangled hair is the inevitable reward for that.

"Nuh-uh. It's a surprise, kiddo. Go get dressed now." Phil points to Seth's bedroom. He gets the stink eye from his son, but Seth does do what he's told.

An hour later, Tom knocks on the apartment door once more. He looks even more harried when Phil opens the door to him this time.

"You guys ready?" He asks softly, and Phil nods, calling back to Seth. Seth comes over, and pulls on his shoes.

"I'm Seth." He offers Tom his hand, getting a handshake and an awkward self-introduction from Tom. "So, where are we going, and why?" Tom laughs at Seth's question, and shakes his head.

"I'm not allowed to tell you why, but we're going downtown to pick out some fancy clothes for a surprise you're getting tomorrow."

"Surprise? What surprise, Papa?" Seth turns to Phil, his eyes narrowed, clearly trying to work out what's going on.

"You've been told, kiddo. It's a surprise." Phil laughs, and ruffles Seth's hair. The elevator comes down from the fifth floor, and the doors open to reveal that inside is Dean. Phil can feel the blood drain from his face, and he wants nothing more than to take the stairs, but Tom and Seth have already gotten in.

"Phil?" Tom says, and Phil forces a bright smile to his lips as he gets into the elevator.

"So, why are you hanging out with Phil, Tom?" Dean asks. Phil looks up from the floor in surprise. It seems as though Dean knows Paul's assistant, and there's a large part of Phil that's annoyed by that. Dean had accused him of moving on to the next alpha quickly, but it seems like Dean had always been playing the field, because Tom flushes crimson, and smacks Dean's shoulder.

"It's for work. You better not be drunk again tonight. I'm getting sick of making an edit point whenever you need to puke." Tom snaps, and Dean turns bright red, and looks over at Phil. There's something that looks almost sorry in his eyes, but he quickly looks away and back to Tom.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it clean till we record. We still on for that?" Dean looks like he wants nothing more than for the elevator to get to the ground floor so he can get out of this situtation, and Phil is in the exact same position.

"Yeah, yeah." Tom mutters, and the elevator finally gets to the bottom. "I'll see you at six?" Dean nods, and heads off quickly out of the building. "We do a radio show and podcast together." Tom turns to Phil with what appears to be his normal awkward smile. "He's a nice guy, but also a complete mess." Tom laughs, and Phil nods slightly.

"We've met." Phil mutters, following Tom out to his car. Tom suddenly looks at him for a _long_ time. His eyes running over Phil in a way that makes him desperately uncomfortable.

"You have?" Tom opens one of the back doors of his car for Seth, and then the front passenger side for Phil.

"We went out for coffee." Phil gets into the car, watching Tom's eyes widen slightly, and his mouth silently form something.

"Oh? Was it nice?" Tom sounds slightly odd, his voice strangely high-pitched. Phil shakes his head once, and glances back at Seth in the rear-view mirror. "He's not great at dates, to be honest… I worry about him. He's been ob- Actually nevermind." Tom smiles, awkwardly, once more. Phil looks over at him, but Tom is staring steadfastly out of the windscreen.

They arrive at a large, and expensive, department store relatively quickly. Seth looks incredibly dubious, and Phil has the feeling he does too. When Tom ushers them inside, Seth slips his arm though Phil's and presses close to his side.

"We literally can't afford to even breathe in here, Papa." Seth whispers to him, and Phil nods slightly.

"We're not buying anything. We're here to get some clothes, and leave. It'll be fine." Phil pats Seth's hand, and keeps following Tom. In his nicely tailored suit Tom fits in, but both Phil and his son stand out like sore thumbs. Once they arrive at the male omegas floor, Tom starts off in the direction of the personal shoppers. Seth's pulled away from Phil a little, taking his hand rather than clinging to Phil's arm.

"Look at this stuff… Sheesh… How can people afford this?" Seth breathes, and Phil squeezes his hand lightly. He hopes that Seth doesn't mind that there's no way Phil could ever afford to dress him in designer clothes, because there isn't. Phil could work every hour of the day for the rest of his life, and maybe only then be able to afford a single coat from this place.

"These two?" A female omega comes over with Tom to where Phil and Seth are standing, her gaze coolly appraising. "Dressing them will be easy." She smiles, a single crack in her pristine exterior showing. "How old are you sweetie?"

"Fifteen, ma'am." Seth smiles back, and the omega chuckles sweetly.

"You've take your papa's looks, I see. You're gonna grow up to be just as pretty, I'm sure. I'm Stacy, by the way, and I'll be your dresser for the morning messers." She steps forward, and offers her hand for shaking. Phil does so, and Seth a little more reluctantly.

It takes what feels like hours, but eventually Stacy manages to find an outfit she and Phil agree on for both Phil and Seth. Seth was surprisingly easy going about the whole process, almost seeming to enjoy playing dress-up. The neatly tailored grey suit Seth liked the best thankfully made him look like the child he is. He'd seemed very uncomfortable with the tight cut of some of the clothes Stacy had brought him, and had latched on to the grey suit almost as soon as she'd brought it to him. Finding Phil's outfit had taken even longer. Stacy and Seth had wanted Phil to pick the skin tight, though beautiful, blood red suit, but Phil didn't think he had the confidence, or body, to pull that off. He did let them talk him into red, though a much deep burgundy. The cut of the suit was annoying similar, the pants cling to his thighs and ass far too much, but Stacy had declared them to be exquisite, and refused to let him find a longer jacket to cover his ass. She'd even dragged Tom into the argument about how Phil shouldn't be hiding his best asset, which had led Stacy to laugh at her own terrible pun. She had brought him amazing shoes though. Beautiful, little, kitten heel ankle boots in jet black. Phil hadn't been able to resist taking a picture of them and messaging Colt.

 _If I ever bond a millionaire I'm buying these! LOOK AT THEM! – sent_

It was only after the message had been sent that Phil realised that he'd sent that to the little group message he has with Colt and Brock. He'd had a moment of panic, mostly because he's sure it makes him look awful.

 _We discussed how I'm not the bonding type, but maybe for your birthday, Boss. ;) – Garbage Man_

Brock's message had made Phil feel even worse. He's not friends with Brock for his money, and the last thing he wanted Brock to think that, but thankfully over the course of several more messages Phil's concerns were laid to rest. Brock was joking, Phil was joking, and all was right with their friendship.

"Papa, can I meet Xavi at the arcade?" Seth asks once they're free from the department store. Phil reluctantly nods, and hugs Seth goodbye. He's not entirely happy about Seth wandering around downtown on his own, but he has his cell phone, and Phil's briefed him on what to do if anything happens as best he can, which is about all he can do. He can't keep Seth locked up somewhere nice and safe, so he should trust his son to keep himself safe as he can.

"So, just you and me then Phil." Tom smiles over at him. Phil nods vaguely, his hand tightening around the handles for the bags he's carrying. "Lemme give you a ride home… Maybe we could have a coffee?" Phil hesitates for a moment too long. If he says no now, Tom will know he's made up an excuse, so he agrees to coffee.

They end up in the Starbucks he'd gone to with Dean, the same omega is behind the counter, and grins at him brightly. She makes him a honey latte without even asking for his order. Tom looks slightly confused, but doesn't comment. They sit at the same table Phil had with Dean, and memories of that awkward day come rushing back to Phil. It'd started so well, and ended so badly. He sips at his coffee, and gazes out of the window, trying to think of nothing.

"Dean told me about what happened here…" Tom says it softly, his tone pitched to be inoffensively pleasant. "His mother raised him alone… She was a drug addict, and his life wasn't easy-"

"He thinks I'm a drug addict?" Phil isn't as angry as he sounds, although he is annoyed. Not about what Tom said, but that Dean would send his friend to plead his case.

" _No_! Not that… He's just scared of being involved with kids. He thinks he'll be a bad influence." Tom sighs, and Phil can feel the weight of his stare on him. "Dean wants to be a better alpha than any he's ever encountered, so he's extra hard on himself whenever he fails at that." Tom falls silent, clearly waiting for Phil to say something. But there's nothing for Phil to say, at least nothing that Tom would want to hear. "He thinks you're scared of him." Tom finally says after what feels like hours of silence.

"He's right." Phil doesn't look over at Tom, instead he keeps staring out of the window. "My bonded was a drug addict. He did… _terrible_ things to me, and he'd get drunk, apologise and do it all over again." Phil finishes off his coffee, and stands up. "You can tell Dean that I don't want to hear his story from someone else. I don't want to harassed by a drunk. And I don't want to have coffee." Phil leaves the Starbucks, and firmly ignores the feeling in his gut that he's made a mistake.

Saturday night passes much in the same way that Sunday morning does, quietly. With one exception, in that Phil takes Seth to the gym for his lesson with Charlotte. She works him hard, leaving him a sweaty, grinning mess afterwards. He's enjoying this whole training thing a lot more than Phil wants him to. Brock had been right about what he'd said last week, Phil is the sort of omega who sets his mind to a task and accomplishes it. Seth is the same way, and Phil has the terrible feeling that fighting is the task Seth's set his mind to.

At about three, Phil sends Seth to the shower. He's probably getting ready a little too early, but he wants to look presentable. Once Seth's out of the shower, Phil decides he should tell his son where they're going. Seth looks ridiculously excited about going to watch the cage fights. Phil honestly doesn't know if he's excited or just worried. Once he's out of the shower, Seth insists on doing his hair, and makeup. Seth's clearly put a bit of his own on, but thankfully it's not so much that it makes Phil uncomfortable. Alphas have the terrible habit of assuming that just because an omega has made themselves look pretty it's for them. They don't seem to realise that sometimes omegas just like to look nice. Phil keeps trying to tell himself that's why he's letting Seth twist his hair up into some style that's way too complicated by half, and cover his entire face with makeup. It's because Phil wants to look nice, not because he's going to be at some massive event with lots of potentially single alphas, not at all.

When it's almost five, Phil gets a text message from Paul, and he herds an overly excited Seth out of their apartment. The rotund alpha is standing beside his car. He smiles brightly at Phil, and opens the back door to his car.

"Shall we get going?" Phil ushers Seth into the car first, and spares a quick glance at his apartment building. He's not sure what it is he's looking for, though he suspects its Dean. He's neither seen nor smelled the alpha since he spoke to Tom, and Phil's not sure if he does want to see Dean again or not. He's very fond of Dean's scent, and his smile, but twice now Phil's been afraid of him. Still the feeling in his gut that he's made a bad decision hasn't let up, and he's not entirely comfortable with that. But, he doesn't need to be involved with another alpha he's scared of. He spent long enough being afraid of Jeff, he doesn't need to add another bad decision to his already long enough list of them.

The first few fights, Phil spends wincing, while Seth is mostly talking to Paul, who seems to be humouring him by answering the many questions he has. Brock's on last, and Phil's been incredibly uncomfortable waiting for him. The clothes they'd picked out at the store with Tom are nice, but Phil feels desperately awkward in the tight tailoring, and he can feel more than a few stares aimed at him.

"You okay, Phil?" Paul asks in a lull in Seth's questioning. Phil nods, and Paul shakes his head with a wry smile. "This is the seat that's usually reserved for which ever pretty little omega Brock's taken a fancy to, it's why people keep staring at you." Phil turns to stare at Paul, and the fat alpha chuckles. "Don't worry, Brock doesn't use this as a seduction technique. You're not his type for a start."

"Oh?" Phil asks quietly, looking at the people who keep staring at him more closely. He can spot a few who keep whispering behind their hands. His cheeks feel hot, and he feels even more uncomfortable.

"He usually goes for young and dumb." Paul chuckles, and pats Phil on the hand. "We can pretend to be dating if it'll make you stop fidgeting." Seth must have tuned for that comment because he looks scandalised for a second then starts laughing.

"Yeah Papa, Mr Heyman would make a _great_ boyfriend." Seth manages between laughs. Before Phil can give a response to that comment, the announcer takes centre stage once more and announces Brock's opponent. He looks huge. A towering monster of an alpha, nothing but muscles upon muscles. Phil can't help but feeling slightly concerned for his friend. Brock looks big, but this guy is a monster. There's a moment where the challenger just stands in the cage alone, then the announcer introduces Brock.

" _Holy shit_ …" Phil breathes softly, staring at his friend. He'd seen photos of Brock dressed in his fighting gear and knew that under his normal clothes he had to look impressive, but seeing it in person is not what Phil was expecting.

"He's quite the specimen, isn't he?" Paul whispers in Phil's ear, getting only a vague nod from Phil. Brock's eyes scan the crowd, and when he spots Phil, a broad grin spreads over his face. His opponent says something to him, and the smile changes into a murderous look.

"So, what are the chances Brock loses this?" Seth's voice sounds very quiet to Phil, almost like it's coming from another room. He can't see anything but Brock's intense look, and he can't seem to hear anything but a vague murmur from the crowd. Paul's answer to Seth's question is too lost in the crowd for Phil to care about it. His attention is riveted by the alphas in the cage. The match starts, and there's a blur of pale flesh and black shorts, then the referee is declaring a winner. Brock meets Phil's eyes through the cage once more, the murderous look gone, and that brilliant grin back. Phil's on his feet with the crowd cheering loudly before he's even registered that Brock won in a matter of seconds. Seth's excited babbling finally comes into focus when Brock turns to the other side of the crowd. He's ecstatic about the match, chattering with Paul about how quick it was, how flawless Brock had been, the chatter too technical for Phil to follow. He feels weird, strangely hyper, and overly excited.

"Brock'll be about a half-hour. He never spends too much time with the press after a defence." Paul's voice jolts Phil from his thoughts. "C'mon, we'll head backstage. This way." Paul leads them both out of the audience, and into the backstage area. There's dozens of people scampering around, doing all kinds of things that look important. Brock's opponent comes through the curtain, and looks over at Phil for a second. There's a strange tension in the air, and Phil's no idea why. Paul looks over at him, and juts his chin up slightly. The fighter shakes his head with a smirk, and skulks off, whatever bravado that had been seemingly dealt with by Paul.

"Did you have fun, Sethie?" Phil asks as the follow along behind Paul. He's keeping his attention on Seth because this doesn't seem like the sort of place that Phil should be. He's not a fighter, he's not a television person. He's a waitress, and a cleaner. He shouldn't be here at all.

"Papa, this was the best birthday present ever! I can't wait to tell Xavi about it! He's gonna be so jealous! I wish I'd taken more photos… Did you see the omega fight? How amazing were they? Do you think that'll be me one day, Papa?" Seth's talking a mile a minute, and Phil can't help but smile fondly at him. When Seth's excited, he is the most adorable thing in the world.

"I don't know, kiddo… Are you sure you wanna do this? It's dangerous… That one omega definitely got a tooth knocked out." Phil mutters, trying to remember anything from the night. He either spent it wincing, or riveted to what has to have been the shortest match in the sport's history.

"That's the risks of the sport, Papa." Seth smacks Phil lightly on the shoulder and laughs. "It was an amazing fight. I'm happy we came." Phil pulls Seth into a one-armed hug, and presses a kiss to his hair.

"I'm glad you had a nice time." Phil smiles down at Seth, and almost walks into Paul's back. The rotund alpha has stopped in front of a door. Brock's name is on a cheap looking print-out pinned to the door. Paul opens the door, and ushers Phil and Seth inside.

"I don't imagine we'll be here long, but you can watch the press conference if you like. I'm going to…" Paul trails off, and gestures towards the bathroom. Seth's already bounded over to the TV, and turned the after fight press conference on. Shortly after they're settled on the couch, the door to Brock's locker room opens, and in walks the huge alpha.

"How'd I do, Boss?" Brock grins over at Phil. Phil nods slightly, and Seth launches into a rambling, overly excited congratulations speech. Brock's grin doesn't waiver despite how long Seth keeps going.

"Shower quickly, champ. I imagine you'll be up soon." Paul leaves the bathroom, and smacks Brock's shoulder.

"I'll not be long, then we can go get something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Brock might sound like he's talking to everyone, but he's looking directly at Phil.

"No wonder, Garbage Man. A five second fight has to be tiring." Phil grins back at Brock, making the huge alpha blush.

"I'm sorry it wasn't longer for you, Boss." Brock winks and vanishes into the bathroom. "Are his fights always that fast?" Phil asks Paul as he takes a seat on the couch by Seth.

"Ideally, yes. The longer you're in the fight, the more things that can go wrong." Paul perches on the arm of the couch by Phil, and smiles down at him. "I am told that fighting is the only thing he does quickly though." Paul laughs, and Phil hopes he's not blushing, because he feels like he might be.

"He empties the trash pretty quick too, I can attest to that at least." The tone Phil was aiming for was light and joking, but he thinks that he might have croaked like an embarrassed teenager. Seth glances over at him, one eyebrow raised. Phil smiles over at him, and tucks an errant strand of hair behind Seth's ear. "So, in the future am I gonna have to come more of these?" Seth grins brightly, and nods.

"How'd your lesson with Charlie go this morning, Seth?" Brock steps out of the bathroom a little while later, dressed in suit pants, a tight shirt, and a towel over his head. Seth turns so fast on the couch at Brock's words Phil's surprised that he didn't fall off.

"Awesome! I'm looking forward to getting to learn some actual techniques-"

"The basics are important." Brock scrubs at his hair, and tosses the towel in a corner.

"I know, but I wanna be able to actually get into _fighting_ , you know." Seth's eyes have lit up, and Phil can feel part of himself screaming in panic. The very last thing he wants is his son getting into fights, but Seth's heart seems set.

"Learn the basics, and everything else will fall into place, kiddo." Brock grins at Seth as he pulls on a pair of dress shoes. "Where's-" Paul holds out the suit jacket he'd been holding to Brock. "Can you stick my bag out to the car while I'm doing this?" Paul nods, and gets to his feet. "Alright… Let's go." Phil pats Seth on the shoulder, and gestures towards the door where Brock's waiting. They walk along in silence for a little while. "You look beautiful, Boss." Brock leans down to whisper into Phil's ear. He'd never expected his friend's voice to affect him the way it just did, but there's no denying that Phil felt a tingle run down his spine at that. He knows he's blushing, and he hopes Seth doesn't notice because he really doesn't want to have to answer awkward questions about why he's blushing. Brock nudges Phil lightly when Phil doesn't answer. Phil is about to say something when they arrive at a set of doors. "You wanna come in, or you wanna wait here? It won't ta-"

"We're coming, right Papa?" Seth turns to Phil with a pleading look in his eye. Phil nods slightly, and Brock shrugs.

"It's gonna be boring." He pushes the doors open, and lets Phil and Seth in first. The conference, as Brock had said it would be, is boring but Seth seems to be having a great time. He looks like there's a thousand questions he wants to ask Brock, and keeps fidgeting beside Phil, looking annoyed that he can't ask his own questions.

After the conference, Brock drives them to some incredibly fancy restaurant. The whole journey Seth sits in the front passenger seat asking Brock questions Phil doesn't understand, but he trusts Brock to be able to both understand and answer. It's been a long time since Phil's seen Seth this excited to be talking to an alpha. There haven't been too many alpha influences in his life since Phil left his father, and Brock seems like a much better influence than Jeff ever could hope to be.

At dinner, things don't much change. Seth's bending Brock's ear, the huge alpha answering each question with seemingly infinite patience. Paul and Phil fall into an easy conversation about nothing much at all, and all in all it's very pleasant. Although there is one thing that troubles Phil about the evening when he's returned home and washed all the crap off his face. Every so often he'd look over at Seth and Brock, making sure that his son wasn't annoying the huge alpha, and it seemed like Seth wasn't at all, but that seemed to solely be because Brock was staring at Phil. Staring at him in a way Brock has _never_ looked at Phil before, staring at him with a passionate fire in his eyes, and Phil has the feeling he was staring back in the same way.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **takers dark lover, Lovergyul** **, ambroserollinsgirl, and agd888.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2016/11/26_**

 _*I'm starting to collect requests for this year's Advent Calendar of fics. Please send me a private message containing your pairing, and song choice. If there's a specific festive request you've got let me know! All pairings are considered if given via a message. Thank you!*_


	9. Chapter 8

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

"Evening Boss." Brock's the first person Phil's spoken to all day that he's not related to, serving, or employed by. It's nice to hear a friendly voice, but Phil's painfully aware that he's blushing when he turns to look over his shoulder at Brock. He's got no reason to be, but he is, and he knows it.

"I figured you'd be resting up after last night." Phil's voice is entirely too low, and he quickly turns back to hauling the cleaning supplies out. He feels entirely too hot, and entirely too embarrassed to be around Brock, for no real reason though. Sure there was the _looking_ last night but looking at someone doesn't mean anything, and neither does calling someone beautiful. It was probably just Brock being nice, or complimenting the outfit Phil had been wearing.

"And miss the spoils of my conquest?" Brock laughs, and comes closer. His scent floods Phil's nostrils, and he has to fight to keep from drinking in the country fresh smell of Brock clinging to the air.

"Spoils?" There's a sudden, desperate part of Phil that wants to turn around and throw itself at Brock, a part of him he's terribly confused by because it shouldn't be there. If only because his heat isn't due for another week. Brock reaches over his head, and snags the garbage bags.

"The spoils." Brock laughs, and waggles the roll of bags in front of Phil's face. "You okay, Boss? You look a little flushed." Phil nods his head absently.

"I think I'm coming down with something… I've been feeling off all day." Brock levels him with a dubious look, and gestures towards the lawyers' offices. "After you, Garbage Man. I need to fill the mop bucket up." Brock salutes Phil with a little grin, and heads off to start emptying the trash. Phil rubs his eyes, and starts on filling the bucket with water.

"You need to take better care of yourself, Boss. Seth needs his papa." Brock chuckles, and ruffles Phil's hair. Phil takes a deep breath, and turns to him with a smile.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Garbage Man." Brock still looks dubious, but at least he doesn't question Phil further on the matter. They clean the top floors first, and the longer they work, the more Phil feels unwell. It's horribly like when a heat is coming on. His body feels too hot, like there's a smouldering ember in his core just waiting to be fanned into a blaze. He can feel the weight of Brock's gaze on him, can taste his scent in the air, can smell what is dangerously close to desire.

"Phil?" Brock sounds slightly off when they get back to the bottom floor where Paul's office is. His voice is a little too low, a little too deep, a little too rumbling. It sends a shiver of anticipation down Phil's spine.

"Hmm?" He doesn't trust himself to say more than that. His heat is coming. He can tell. It's early, and he doesn't know why, but it's coming, and by the end of the night, he'll be lost to it.

"This is gonna sound like a ridiculous question, but…" Brock trails off, his face flushing red in embarrassment.

"But?" Phil's leaning against a wall, feeling far too hot. He's suddenly very glad that he has the habit of wearing panty liners. His vagina feels far too moist. He's painfully aware of how empty it feels, how all he wants is a knot to fill him up.

"Boss!" Brock's hand on his shoulder draws Phil back to the present. He'd not realised that he'd been lost in his thoughts, his eyes closed, head pressed back against the wall, exposing his throat. He'd been all but offering himself to Brock, but thankfully the huge alpha is enough of Phil's friend to not take advantage of him. He fishes his phone out of the pocket of the regulation coveralls he has to wear, and fires a quick text off to Seth.

 _Please go and stay with your Uncle. My heat came early. :'( love Papa – sent_

 _Can I stay with Xavier? I asked his papa, and he said it was okay. So can I? – Seth_

 _Hey Phil, it's Xavier's pa here, I was told that I should tell you it's okay for Seth to stay over. You want me to send Big E to collect him? - ************_

 _Thanks, Kofi! That'd be a weight off my mind. – sent_

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch a word of what you said, Garbage Man." Phil slips his phone into his pocket once more, and offers Brock a vague smile. His body is heating up far quicker. He can feel perspiration starting to form on his brow. Brock nods slightly, and looks around awkwardly. "Let's get this finished up quickly." Phil forces himself off the wall, and gets on with cleaning the open plan office in front of Paul's. The rotund alpha has already left for the night, and Phil is entirely grateful that his heat isn't coming on around two alphas. He doesn't want to think about whether Paul has self-control comparable to Brock's. The huge alpha must be able to smell how wet and ready Phil is to be rutted, but Brock is either entirely uninterested or very good at ignoring his desires.

"I was asking about… It doesn't matter… I mean… I'll run you home as soon as we're done here." Brock mutters, emptying the trash cans quickly. The last place to clean is Paul's office, and Phil's utterly relieved that this almost over. He can go home, lock the door, and deal with his heat. He supposes he should answer the question Brock is trying to ask.

"It's my heat." Phil confirms, nudging Brock with his elbow, and smiles vaguely. It's embarrassing to talk about what happens to his body once every season. Heats are the single most embarrassing thing that happens to omegas. The burning need to be fucked, the _need_ for a knot, a need that's only vaguely sated by the knotted dildo and alpha pheromone candles Phil has at home. "I wasn't expecting it." Brock turns to him in shock, his eyes running over Phil's body, and lingering on his face.

"You don't take suppressants?" Brock looks at him with concern in his eyes. Phil can tell that the huge alpha is probably connecting dots and making ugly pictures. There's no need to worry though. He usually knows exactly when his heat is due, and he has good locks on his door. It was the first thing he'd checked when he and Seth moved into the new apartment. A good lock is often the first, and last defence an omega in heat has against rape.

"Not full suppressants." Phil shakes his head, and wipes his hand over his brow. "I tried them a few years back, and the hormones messed with my blood pressure. Fainting randomly wasn't fun, so I went back on the reduced heat pills. A day or two is much less hassle than a week or two." Phil swipes at his brow again, and considers if he should try taking off his work issued coverall. It would be against regulation, but his heat is building too quickly for him to want to wear too many layers. Brock looks him over again, his eyes lingering over Phil's body in a way that makes Phil want to display himself. His body's instincts are screaming louder and louder, almost loud enough to drown out the part of Phil that knows Brock is nothing more than his friend.

"You don't seem like the sort of omega to get caught off guard like this, Boss. Is it early then?" Brock's clearly have a similar internal struggle to Phil. His nostrils are flared, and his fingers keep twitching like he wants to reach out and grab Phil.

"Yeah… I wasn't due for another week." Phil undoes the top few buttons of his coverall, and wipes his forehead once more. "I'm guessing it the stress from Jeff, and Dean, and everything else, you know?"

"Wait... Who's Dean?" Brock's levelled Phil with a look. A look that speaks to the most primal part of Phil. A look that sets the ember smouldering in him into an inferno. A look that screams of protection, of possession, of passion.

"Garbage Man." Phil whispers the nickname softly, and Brock blinks. The look goes, but it's ghost lingers in Phil's mind. "It doesn't matter who he was…is, but he's the alpha who took me to coffee a while back." Brock nods once, and takes the cleaning cloth in Phil's hand.

"Sit down, Boss. I got this. It's only here left, and I'm sure Paul won't mind you taking his chair." Brock starts wiping down the shelves. Phil takes Paul's chair, and watches Brock carefully. His muscles of his arms and shoulders visible through the thin cotton of his shirt. Phil undoes the rest of the buttons on the coverall, and slips his arms from it, grateful he's wearing nothing more than a t-shirt underneath. His eyes roam down Brock's back, his mind supplying what he remembers from last night. The pale skin, the thick muscles, the tattoos.

"I always wanted lots of tattoos." Phil blurts out suddenly. Brock looks over at him for a moment, a wry smirk on his lips.

"Oh?" He turns back to cleaning. Phil sighs softly, his gaze lingering on the muscles of Brock's back. "What would you get?

"I dunno… Lots of them… Flowers, scary monsters, pretty butterflies…who knows. I wanted them all over. Up my arms, over my chest, my legs…stomach…" Phil slides the coverall down off his legs, and stretches them out in front of himself. He swipes the coveralls up, and pulls his phone out of the pocket, slipping it into his pants' pocket. "Not very omega like, but good for a musician's mate. Did I tell you Jeff was a musician when I met him?"

"Nope… You've not really said much about him, Boss." Brock's moved on to cleaning a different part of Paul's office, his back still studiously turned to Phil.

"I thought he was amazing… The most beautiful alpha I'd ever seen, with a voice like an angel… I thought he was going to be star, and he told me I was his muse… God, I was such an idiot as a kid." Phil laughs, and balls his coverall up, clutching it in his lap. "I'm hoping Seth's smarter than his papa." Brock makes a soft enquiring noise. "I was his age when I met Jeff…fifteen. We ran off and got bonded when I was sixteen, pregnant by eighteen… I'm glad Seth's showed no sign of being interested in anyone, well any alpha." Phil laughs, and Brock looks over at him.

"You think he might be gamma?" Brock leans against the bookcase, watching Phil carefully.

"I dunno, maybe… It wouldn't be the worst thing to be honest. I don't want him to have to go through what I have. I've considered it, you know." Phil rests his head against the back of Paul's chair, and takes a deep breath through his nose. Brock's scent fills his mind, and the next thing Brock says comes drifting through the haze in Phil's mind.

"What? Being gamma? I don't think that's something you can decide, Boss." Brock chuckles, and gets back on with cleaning.

"I know…I couldn't do it anyway. I'd miss being knotted too much. Phil barks a laugh, and Brock's ears turn scarlet. "It's the best part of being fucked, you know." Phil slinks from Paul's chair towards Brock. Brock backs up, pressing himself against the wall as Phil trails a finger down Brock's chest. "There's nothing like being _filled_." Phil smiles, and splays his hand on Brock's chest. "Nothing like being pinned down, _dominated_ , and filled by your alpha. You wanna be my alpha, Garbage Man?" Brock's nostrils flare with desire, but instead of acting on it, he carefully takes a hold of Phil's shoulders and walks him back to Paul's chair.

"Boss, this is your heat talking, not you. You sit there, and I'll finish this up quickly." Brock presses Phil into the chair. His fingers flex on Phil's shoulders for a moment, and then Brock steps away.

"Heat, schmeat. Don't you wanna fuck me, Brock?" Phil sprawls on the chair, his legs splayed. Brock's gaze lingers over him, his eyes clearly answering Phil's question in the affirmative, but Brock resolutely turns away.

"Boss. Be quiet, okay?" Brock's voice is even deeper, even rougher. It calls out to the heat blazing inside Phil.

"Am I that much not your type that even my heat doesn't make you wanna rut me?" Phil whines petulantly, and Brock turns to look at him. His expression is horribly earnest, horribly honest, and in the fug of his heat, the part of Phil that's still coherent winces.

"Phil… This isn't you talking. If it was _you_ , you wouldn't be saying these things, and this wouldn't be a topic we'd bring up. My type, and who I fuck are two very different things." Brock comes closer, and kneels down in front of Phil. "Who I fuck are omegas who know what they're getting into. A short fling where they try to get as much out of me as they can. My type is a beautiful, kind, loving omega I'm not good enough for. So no, I won't fuck you, Phil." He takes a hold of one of Phil's hands, cradling it gently. "Make of that what you will, Boss." He presses a kiss to the back of Phil's hand, and stands up. Phil blinks at him dumbly for a moment. His hazy brain trying to process what Brock just said, but getting stuck on so many points.

"Garbage Man, do you think I'm beautiful?" The question comes spilling out of Phil's mouth once Brock turns away from him. Brock's shoulders tense at the question.

"I already told you that, didn't I?" Brock doesn't turn around, leaving Phil staring at his tense shoulders. "I've never said anything to you that wasn't true, Boss."

"I was dressed up all pretty last night though. Do you think I'm beautiful when I'm a sweating, vaguely delirious mess? Huh, Garbage Man? You think I'm pretty when I'm this fucking desperate?" Phil laughs, and even to him it sounds ugly. Brock turns around finally, and crosses the room in two strides. He catches a hold of Phil's hand, and pulls him to his feet.

"You're not yourself, Boss. I know you're not yourself, but you're really not being fair to me. If I was less of an alpha, I'd throw you over this desk and knot you so hard this heat would pass right now. But I was raised right." Brock strokes Phil's cheek gently. "I was raised right, so I'm going to tell you to quieten down, and not mention this unless you do." Brock presses the softest kiss Phil's ever had to his forehead. "Now please." Brock presses a finger to Phil's lips, and smiles gently. Phil finds the flames inside him subsiding. His heat always comes in waves like this, at least before it fully consumes him. Then he'll have a few days of mindlessly needing to be fucked, followed by a week of his body purging the womb lining it'd prepared to house a fertilised egg, and then after that, he'll finally be normal again.

"I'm sorry, Brock. It's… I'm gonna issue a blanket apology on everything I say while I'm not well." Phil awkwardly shuffles back to Paul's chair, and sits down once more. Brock shakes his head, and gets on with cleaning.

"I've never thought of it as being sick, you know. A heat's completely natural." Brock's face is completely crimson, and Phil can't help but chuckling at him. "What? It's true. Nothing you say is something you'd say ordinarily… A heat's whole purpose is to get you mated, so everything you say is supposed to help with that." Phil chuckles at Brock once more, and Brock comes back over long enough to bop Phil on the nose. "It's true." He repeats.

"I know it's true, but it doesn't change the fact that it's a shitty way of going about it." Phil groans, and rubs at his eyes.

"What's it like? Alphas weren't taught about heats in school-"

"What about your ma and pa?" Phil asks, mostly to keep from answering that question. It's not a topic he's well versed in. He'd taught Seth about heats using a book, as he was too embarrassed to tell Seth directly what would happen to his body as he aged. Heats are something that omegas are only barely taught about in schools, and even then Phil was mostly taught that his heat made it clear that he was less than an alpha and that his sole purpose was to produce babies.

"Ma was infertile, but she and Da would go off once a year for a week, and leave Pa to take care of us kids. Pa took full suppressants, unless they wanted another kid, then he and Da would go, and Pa would come back pregnant. Da loved having kids in the house… As soon as one of us was too old to enjoy piggyback rides, or his terrible jokes, it was time to make a new one." Brock chuckles, a fond smile creeping over his face.

"Yeah… Alphas always love having kids around, but that's just cause they're only there for the nice parts. Most alphas don't have to deal with bath time, or bed time, or teething, or potty training, or a hundred other things that aren't fun about little kids." Phil groans, and starts fanning at his face. He feels hot, but thankfully more in control of himself than before.

"You don't want another kid?" Brock asks softly, looking at Phil thoughtfully.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." Phil sighs, and smiles at the thought of Colt's little foster children. He'd love to have another child, another bond-mate, another chance at the happy family life he'd dreamed of as a kid. "Do you like kids?" Brock looks taken aback by the question, his ears flushing a bright red.

"I do, and before you ask, I'd love to have one or two one day, but not now." He plugs in the vacuum, and smiles awkwardly at Phil. "And before you ask the next question I already told you why." Phil looks at him feeling mildly confused, until he remembers what Brock said moments ago. Two types of omegas. The ones Brock fucks, and the ones that are his type.

"You confuse me, Garbage Man. I've no idea if I'm your type or not. I've no idea why I care, other than the heat. I can lay all the blame on my heat." Phil mutters, letting his voice be drowned out by the sound of the vacuum. Brock looks over at him oddly, but Phil just shakes his head, and stops talking to himself. It's a bad habit, and one he needs to break.

"Is Seth going to stay at home while you're…" Brock trails off, blushing furiously. It's incredibly endearing how Brock seems at once completely comfortable talking about most anything, but then he'll get to certain subjects and he seems utterly incapable of saying what he wants at all.

"No… He usually stays with Colt, but this time he's going to stay with his friend, Xavier." Phil's rolled the window in Brock's car down as far as he can. The air is chilled, and incredibly welcome in the face of Phil's encroaching heat.

"Do you need me to drive him over?" Brock turns on the aircon, watching Phil out of the corner of his eye.

"Nah. Big E came to pick him up." Brock nods along with what Phil says, then his eyebrows crease.

"Big E Langston?" Phil shrugs, he's no idea what Big E's surname is. "Muscly, black alpha, trains in my gym, married to skinny omega with dreads? I think they've got a kid."

"They do. Xavier. He's Sethie's friend." Phil laughs suddenly, and Brock looks over at him in confusion. "We sound like a bonded pair." Phil chuckles, and Brock shakes his head with a wry smile, clearly thinking this is Phil's heat talking again. "C'mon, telling stories that are actually half stories, but somehow we know what each other's talking about… Total bonded behaviour."

"I'm not the-"

"You've said." Phil cuts Brock off before he can finish that sentence. "I think you're just scared of being bonded." Brock shakes his head.

"It's not that." Brock stalls, and only starts talking again when Phil offers him an encouraging little sound. "A bond is for life. I was raised to think that, and I don't think that I'm in the right frame of mind to offer an omega a for life relationship." Brock sighs again, and shakes his head. "I…I want to get bonded, but I'd never met an omega I wanted to bond…And when I did… We don't need to talk about this, Boss." Brock's studiously staring ahead as he drives. His face flushed red, with a sorrowful little smile on his face. Phil suddenly thinks that they don't really need to talk about this either. It's getting a little too real, and they're just friends.

"You've met someone? I'm gonna need to meet them, so I can give my seal of approval." Phil offers Brock an easy way out. It seems only fair, and Brock grabs it with both hands, laughingly saying _yes Boss_.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **takers dark lover, Lovergyul** **, ambroserollinsgirl, and Queen Preferences.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2016/12/10_**


	10. Interlude: 02

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Mild Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Profanity, Alcohol_

* * *

The banging on his door drags Dean out of his bed. He feels like shit, but he's used to feeling like shit. The worst side effect of his fondness for alcohol is that he tends to get hungover. He groans as he gets to his feet, and spares a glance at the clock. It's not even eight yet. He can't think who the hell would be bothering him so early. He pulls some clothes on haphazardly, and staggers to his front door. On the other side is Tom, dressed in his real job clothes.

"I don't have anyone who'd be issuing me with subpoenas so why are you here looking like that?" Dean steps aside, and lets Tom in.

"Uff." Tom groans, and flops down onto Dean's couch. "The boss has me running errands for the new bit of Lesnar's."

"The UFC alpha?" Dean wanders over to kitchen to put some coffee on. Tom look like he could use a cup, and Dean knows he could.

"Uff, yes. I swear, that guy is such an asshole. A new omega every fight. It's gross. It's like he thinks that committing will kill him." Tom makes a retching noise, and shakes his head. "The new one's got a kid."

"Oh?" For a moment, Dean has the terrible thought that Phil, sweet precious Phil, might the object of Lesnar's affections, but he dismisses it. Phil is beautiful, but he's not the type of beautiful that Lesnar goes for. He likes his omegas dumb, and pretty. Phil isn't dumb, at least he didn't seem dumb to Dean, and whilst he's pretty, he's not the knockout gorgeous that the omegas Tom bitches about babysitting for Lesnar are.

"Yeah… Poor thing. I hope Lesnar's at least a good fuck. I swear every one of the of omegas I've dressed up for him, he better have done them right. Although, it wouldn't surprise me if he was one of those micro-knotted freaks to balances up the fact he's massive everywhere else." Tom laughs, and helps himself to the coffee Dean's made.

"Who knows, and who cares." Dean shrugs. "I need to shower before I head out. If you wanna make me some food, I'd not object."

"You're getting toast, and then I'm going to bitch about the running list for the show tonight." Tom calls out as Dean goes into his bathroom. They have breakfast together, with Tom staying true to his word and making nothing more than toast, and doing nothing more than bitching about what'll be on the podcast they need to record tonight. It's not that it's been a slow news week, but Dean's weekly ramble about his obsession with Phil had filled a valuable few minutes in the running time, and they need to fill it with something else now that he's sworn off using Phil for an on-air segment.

When Dean had gotten into the elevator, he'd hoped to have missed Tom, or be faster than him and the omega he was taking to dress up. When Phil gets in with his kid, Dean stares dumbly at the door for a second, then his mouth opens and he wishes it hadn't. By the time he leaves the elevator, he's half-convinced that Tom might kill him, and he's entirely convinced he should never be allowed near Phil again. He's not good enough for him. He's barely good enough to be in the same building as him, let alone a relationship. All day he beats himself up over the elevator incident. He can't bring himself to really consider why he was such a jerk, but he can't deny he was. Phil draws the worst in him out, but he can't deny that he's attracted to the omega. There's something about Phil that calls to him, and as much as he tries to deny his genetics, there are times when even Dean can't deny that an alpha is _called_ by the scent of an omega. He cuts his thoughts at that, and heads to a bar instead of staying in his preferred writing coffee shop. His thoughts are turning darkly into alpha rights territory. He doesn't need to start down the path of the people he mocks for a living, the single last thing he wants to start thinking is that his defence for a rape charge could be _his pheromones overpowered me your honour._ It's not something he should even think to be joking about, but maybe it'll make a decent headlines challenge segment – _rape defences offered by alpha rights activists_ does have a certain ring to it. He makes a note of it, and rubs at his eyes. The bartender looks at him oddly, and Dean shakes his head. His problems aren't for sharing, although maybe he could make that a segment rather than updates on his creepy obsession with Phil, it'd be less creepy if nothing else.

"Before we start the record, I need to talk to you." Tom looks at Dean, and grabs the cigarette packet from the middle of the table. He pulls one free, and lights it. Dean's surprised to say the least. Tom had returned to quitting smoking after last week, and to be starting the night out with a cigarette isn't a great sign. "Nothing I'm going to say is going to make you happy." Tom sighs, and shakes hakes head. Dean nods once at Tom's words. He has the terrible feeling this will be related to Phil somehow. "I went for coffee with Phil."

"Oh?" Dean takes a shot of his whiskey, and considers how drunk is too drunk to record a podcast. He's been brooding on the meeting he had with Tom, Phil, and Phil's kid all day, and he's been entirely too sober to deal with it all day, despite not moving from the bar until he had to come to the studio to record. The bartender had offered to get him a cab, but Dean knows the route from that bar to the studio to his apartment well enough that he could be literally blind drunk, and still make it.

"I spoke to him." Tom takes another drag of his cigarette, and reaches for the whiskey. "I don't want to be harassed by a drunk, that's what he told me." Tom takes a swig of the whiskey. "You want to tell me why you were drunkenly harassing him?" Dean shakes his head, and grabs the whiskey bottle back.

"I wanted to apologise to him, but I couldn't get myself to do it sober. Whenever I'm sober I know I'll do something stupid, and I knew I shouldn't have said anything to him, but I couldn't not say something, I couldn't not say sorry." Dean swirls the whiskey around for a moment, then takes a long drink. "You wanna tell me why you were with him?"

"And you thought drunk was the best way to do it?" Tom scowls at him, then casts his gaze to the ceiling. "Remember how I said that I was at your building for Lesnar's new bit?" Tom laughs sharply, and shakes his head. "You know all this Dean, why the fuck are you asking me?"

"I want to know what it is Lesnar's seducing him with?" Dean mutters, and takes another drink. Tom shakes his head, and takes another draw from his cigarette.

"Does it matter? If Lesnar wants to fuck him he'd not have just rented the clothes." Tom leans over the table and grabs the whiskey bottle. "You've had more than enough. We've not even started recording yet."

"What? Rented him clothes? Why the fuck is Lesnar renting my omega clothes?" Dean makes another grab for the whiskey, and Tom scowls at him. "What? What's that face for?"

"He's not _yours_ , Dean. Phil is his. And as for why Lesnar's renting him clothes, he invited him to a title defence. I guess, Lesnar assumed that Phil didn't have anything suitable for watching alphas beating the shit out of each other." Tom takes another drink of whiskey, and pulls a grimace at the taste. "I don't get how you can drink this stuff like its water."

"It is water, mostly at least. But why is he just renting it?" Dean gives up on trying to get the whiskey back, and settles for lighting a cigarette.

"I suppose, it's a sign that Brock thinks of him as a friend and not a potential fuck buddy." Tom sighs, and drinks some more. "There's more he said to me, but I don't know that I should tell you."

"Get it over with." Dean mutters, sucking on his smoke. He has the feeling this isn't going to be anything he wants to hear, so it's best that Tom gets it over with quickly like pulling off a band-aid.

"The relationship he has the kid from was _abusive_ … His ex was a drug addict, so well done you! You've been triggering all his _oh shit_ sensors." Tom laughs bleakly, and takes another drink. "One last thing, he doesn't want coffee." Dean feels washed out. Not even his old friend whiskey is making him feel like himself. Instead he feels like he's been sucker punched. Phil was abused by a drunk, and Dean triggers him. Phil is Lesnar's new bit, or at least very close to it. Phil doesn't want to be harassed by a drunk. Phil more than likely isn't interested in Dean in the least, but that's not changed how Dean feels at all. He'd still like little more than to spend time with Phil. If he could there's a lot he'd take back when it comes to Phil, but Phil made it clear to Tom that there's no taking it back. Dean made his bed, and it's decidedly without Phil in it.

"You wanna record?" Dean hopes that Tom knows him well enough to leave well alone in that moment. There's no amount of talking about this that'll change how Dean feels, and there's no amount of time that Dean's going to take to deal with what Tom told him. He's going to try to move past Phil, try to move past his attraction, his obsession. And he's going to try and move past it in the only way Dean really knows how, but ignoring it.

 _Taking Over the Asylum Episode 133_

 _Dean: It's Friday, we have no social lives, and neither do you. So, welcome to another episode of Taking Over the Asylum. I'm your host, Dean, and I'm joined as always by the puppy that thinks he's a dread wolf, Tom Phillips. Say hi to the audience, Tom._

 _Tom: Hello to all five of you. On this week's episode..._

 _Dean: We discuss the church's right to decide when and how you die._

 _Tom: We meet the little girl who blew her school._

 _Dean: And as ever, we have a word from everyone's favourite flaming asshole, Pastor AJ Styles. But first! Tom has a tale of two kitties._

 _Tom: My tales today isn't so much about my kitties as it is about what my kitties have shown me. I'm sure over the course of a hundred and thirty-three stories about my cats you're all kind of sick of hearing me bang on and on about them, but my kitties teach me important lessons. Take Khan for example, he's an asshole. He eats all the food, he steals whatever spot Simba's sitting on, he's a dick. But when it comes down to it, my kitties stick up for each other. Simba's sick. He's got an ear infection, and needs medicine dripped into his ear twice a day, and he hates it. I know you're probably thinking how are you going to tie this story of your cat needing ear drops into a humanist lesson for us all, Tom. And, wait it's coming. C'mon, how many of these do you need to sit through before you just trust me on these? Khan and Simba generally don't get along, and when it's time to get his medicine Simba will go to his brother. At first I thought maybe that Khan was helping his brother hide, but I quickly learned that Khan is selling his brother out. I was confused at first, but then I watched what Khan does after the ear drops are put in. He stops Simba from shaking his head to get them out. Even though it means he has to interact with his brother despite the fact he doesn't like it, Khan will stop Simba from doing something to give him a little comfort now, but will cause him a lot of pain in the future. So, the lesson we can learn from my kitties this week is, don't indulge stupidity. If you need to step in and stop someone from doing something stupid to save them in the long run, do it._

 _Dean: Sounds like Khan's just an asshole who likes seeing Simba in pain, Tom._

 _Tom: A little pain now is better than a whole lot in the future, isn't it?_

 _Dean: And now the headlines…_

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Lovergyul, takers dark lover, Queen Preferences and ambroserollingirl.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update will see a return to Punk's side of the story - 2016/12/26_**

 _If you've any questions feel free to send me a message and ask._


	11. Chapter 9

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

The first thing Phil does when he gets home is light a pheromone candle. The scent of an alpha fills the air, and his heat smoulders deep inside him. He feels too hot, and too empty. His body needs to be filled, his instincts are screaming at him to find an alpha, and to let them fuck him. The second thing he does is lock the door, and hide his keys. The last thing he wants is to be deliriously out of the apartment, hunting down a knot to fill him. Next on his list is digging out his dildo, and then showering. If he could, during his heat Phil would live in the shower. He always feels much better when he's showering. He almost feels like himself when he's in the shower during a heat.

The first wave of his _true_ heat hits him when he's bathing. Mindlessly, he uses his dildo's suction cup to affix it to the shower wall, and teases the entrance of his pussy with it. Just the tip penetrates him. There's no point in him trying to hold back his satisfied moans, but he tries anyway, biting his lips, and letting his eyes fall closed. He presses back against the dildo, letting it slide deeper into him. It's never quite enough. The latex of the dildo never feels as good as the warm, velvety cock of an alpha. His mind summons up the feeling of an alpha's hands on his hips, pulling him onto their cock, their knot beginning to tease piercing him. His breathing picks up, one hand wraps around his cock. He moves his hips faster, riding the dildo with more urgency. His mind is driven by the need to be filled. He's never sure if it's the need to be filled with a knot or with an alpha's cum, but there's a part of him that's empty all the same. Phil works his hips faster, driving himself onto the dildo with more speed, and less finesse. His mind is blank, mindlessly fixated on this first orgasm. The first of what will be many over the next day or two. Once his heat passes, he'll be weak and frail. Once he's experiencing his womb's purge he'll want nothing more than to sleep, but at least the heat will be passed, at least he'll be a normal human once more, and not a mindless sex obsessed drone. He comes quietly, biting his lip, and trembling. His mind pleasantly blank as his vagina's muscles milk the dildo inside him. The fake knot feels wonderful. It fills him so fully that his legs feel weak.

What happens for the next few hours isn't something Phil's overly aware of. He knows that he'll have been fucking his dildo, he knows that he'll have cum many times, he knows that he'll have moaned and whined and pleaded with the air for a real knot, but he's not certain. His heat has cooled briefly so he can eat and drink. His body knows that it needs sustenance to make it through this ordeal. He's no idea what he eats before being lost to his heat once more, the need for a knot overpowers every part of himself. His mind is fixated on the heat, and everything else is tossed to the wayside.

In the throes of a heat, his mind wanders. It always does. In the heats before he met Jeff, it would fixate on celebrities he wanted to fuck him. Once he'd met Jeff, the only knot Phil had wanted was Jeff's. Then after the divorce his mind would roam from random alphas he'd met to famous alphas to strange creations of his mind, all knot and piercing eyes. This heat his mind summons a vision of Dean to him. He painfully imagines Dean pinning him to the bed and destroying him with his cock and knot. Visions of nights with Jeff, but with Dean's image instead of his ex's. Each time he comes to himself enough to beware of what his mind was summoning in its lust, Phil feels at once ashamed and afraid. Dean is _everything_ he likes in an alpha. Tall, slender but strong, deep, piercing eyes, a glorious smile, a sharp, witty personality, and a mire of darkness beneath that wit. He's never attracted to alphas who are good for him. He never makes the right choices, he knows he doesn't, and yet he feels the pull of the allure of a _bad_ alpha. If he made better choices, he'd want Brock. The big alpha seems like he's a good one. He seems like the sort of alpha who would treat him right, but he's not Phil's type. A great friend, but he's so different from any alpha Phil's ever wanted to sleep with. Although, knowing the fuck-ups that are his past, perhaps shooting for an alpha he isn't attracted to might be a good idea. Still, being anything more with Brock would ruin their friendship, and Phil loves being Brock's friend. The big alpha's a good friend. His _first_ alpha friend, and he wants to keep it that way.

Thursday morning, Phil wakes up, and feels used. His pussy is aching, but it doesn't feel empty for the first time since his heat started. He's tired, but shivering in the cold of his air-conditioned bedroom. His heat has finally passed, but now he's got to deal with the rest of the week, including Jeff's father's will reading tomorrow with his period. At least he's not in the middle of a heat for it. There's very little he'd want less than to be faced with that prospect.

 _Hey kiddo! You coming home? – sent_

Before he does anything else, Phil sends off a message to Seth. Now that his heat has passed, he'd like to see his son, but he has the feeling that Seth might prefer to stay with his friend a little while longer.

 _You're okay? Can I stay with Xavi one more night? I'll be home straight after school tomorrow, I promise Papa! – Sethie_

 _Alright, see you tomorrow. Be good! xoxo – Sent_

He heads straight to the shower, and spends entirely too long standing under the spray, letting it run over his back, with his forehead pressed against the tiles. He's exhausted, but himself. His heat always makes him feel like a different person. Afterwards is like coming back to himself after being unconscious for too long. It's almost like when he gave birth. He'd gone into the hospital as one person, and he'd come out as another. Having Seth was a much bigger change, but the feeling is at least slightly similar.

"I'm thinking shit." Phil mutters to the tiles, and decides he'd be better served by bathing. Once he's out of the shower, and dressed in his pyjamas, bathrobe and slippers, he gives Colt a call, asking his friend if he'd be able to go grab some groceries for him. Colt sounds mildly stressed, but Phil had expected that. He'd read through the group messages between Colt and Brock. It was nothing but Colt ranting about Cena, and Brock offering to beat him up. Thankfully Phil hadn't made any heat-addled comments, because he has the terrible feeling that in the throes of a heat he'd offer Brock the opportunity to beat something else up with his knot and not his fists.

A knock on the door wakes Phil up from the nap he'd been having on the couch. He groggily gets to his feet, and shuffles over to the door, making sure his bathrobe is tied tightly. He squints through the peephole, and is surprised to see who's on the other side.

"Brock?" He opens the door, and lets the big alpha into his apartment.

"Colt told me he was too busy to bring you your groceries." Brock shakes the carrier bags in his hands. "So, I grabbed your stuff. Where'd you want it?"

"Uh, kitchen please. You want me to take one of those?" Phil makes a grab for one of the bags, but Brock shakes his head and smiles at him. "This way." Phil shuffles along in his slippers over to the kitchenette in the flat. Brock follows along behind him, and sets the bags down on the table.

"Hey, before we put this away." Brock sets down some takeout cartons. "Eat something." Brock opens the cartons up, and sets one in front of Phil. "I asked Colt what you like and apparently, he didn't lie." Phil's already started in on the food, and looks up at Brock with a slightly embarrassed smile. He never remembers to eat enough during his heat, and afterwards he's always hungry. So it was impossible to resist the allure of his favourite takeout.

"He did not." Phil grins, and swallows the takeout in his mouth. "So, you didn't have anything on? No training to be batter at punching big, scary alphas in the face?"

"Nope, not a thing. And, I've missed hanging out with you, Boss." Brock smiles, and starts eating from his own carton. "The replacement they sent in for you was... Well, she wasn't you." Brock's ears turn crimson, and he stuffs more food into his mouth. Phil can help but chuckle at him.

"I'll be back next week. I only get one week a quarter off for my heat. Yay for the omega-suffrage movement." Phil takes another mouthful, and starts rooting through the grocery bags on the table between them. "Did Colt remember to tell you to grab orange juice?"

"Yeah, yeah." Brock plucks the carton of orange juice straight out, and hands it over to Phil. "Where's your glasses?" He's already on his feet before Phil can protest, so he simply gestures to the cupboard over the sink, and keeps eating. "You sure this is gonna be enough food for you and Seth?"

"Until I can face the big shop it'll be fine. How much?" Phil takes the glass of orange juice Brock gave him, and has a drink. The big alpha looks like he's going to protest and say that Phil doesn't need to pay him for this, but a stern look from Phil has him slipping the receipt out of his pocket before he retakes his seat. "I've got you trained already, huh?" Phil laughs, and Brock's ears burn red once more.

"You're a very hard omega to disagree with, I'll give you that. It's the papa in you, I'm sure." Brock starts eating once more.

"I guess… I do have a special papa voice for when Seth's in trouble." Phil chuckles, and watches Brock carefully. "I've missed you too by the way, Garbage Man." Brock looks up from his food, and laughs.

"I know. I figured that went without saying." He winks, and keeps eating. Phil shakes his head, and somehow doesn't feel as embarrassed the heat in his cheeks suggest he does.

"You got nothing on for the rest of the day, right?" Phil asks once they've finished eating. Brock shakes his head. "I've a whole bunch of nothing on too, and a Netflix account."

"Netflix and chill? Phil! I'm an honourable alpha!" Brock presses his hand over his heart, and grins at Phil brilliantly.

"You're a goof." Phil gets to his feet and shakes his head with a laugh. "I am serious though. If you wanna hang out for a bit, I'd be more than grateful for the company. Seth's staying at his friend's another night, and I could use a friend too." Brock stands up, and briefly touches Phil's shoulder.

"I've heard that Stranger Things is worth a watch." Brock smiles at him, and waves off Phil's quiet thank you. "Oh! I forgot. I've got a present for you, and I left it in the car cause I'm an idiot." Brock heads for the door.

"I don't need a present, but I'm not gonna argue. I'll make some coffee instead." Phil mutters, heading towards the coffee pot.

"I'll be quick." Brock chuckles at him, and leaves the apartment.

"I swear, I should just try and get him in my bed… It'd make my life so much easier." Phil mumbles to himself as he starts making the coffee. Whilst the machine is busy, Phil plugs the laptop into the TV, and pulls up Netflix, hunting out the show Brock had mentioned. There's a knock on the door, and Phil lets Brock back in.

"There was a really weird alpha in the entrance hall to your building… He just stood there glaring at me when I nipped out to the car, and then when I was waiting for the elevator." Brock sets the bag in his hand down on the coffee table, and trails along behind Phil as he goes to pour out some coffee.

"Weird alpha? What did he look like?" Phil hands Brock a cup of coffee, and takes a cautious sip of the still hot liquid.

"About this tall." Brock holds his hand in the air. "Reddish-brown hair, skinny, stubble…leather coat. Just a normal looking alpha, I guess." Brock shrugs, and Phil's utterly convinced Brock was describing Dean. "You live with weird people, Boss."

"Yeah." Phil wanders over to the couch, and takes a seat on one end. "Bring the coffee pot over, will you?" Brock and the coffee pot appear before Phil's even finished his sentence. "So, Stranger Things?"

"I'm told it's good, and if it's not there's bound to be some good movies on there." Brock sets his coffee down, and picks up the bag. He pulls out a cake box, and opens it. "I visited your diner and got some pie." Inside are several slices of several slices of different pies. "And this is your present." Brock hands Phil a big bag of Reese's Pieces. "My mama always made sure that Papa got these after a heat. She said it was the best cure to post-heat-blues." Phil chuckles, opens the bag up, and stuffs a modest amount of candies straight into his mouth.

"Your Mama was smart. Reese's are the best." Phil grins over at Brock, and tilts the bag to him. The big alpha shakes his head, and fishes a slice of apple pie out of the box.

"All the apple is for me, unless you _really_ like it. Then you can have one." Phil shakes his head, and grins over at Brock.

"The apple's got nothing on the pecan, trust me." Phil eats more of the candies, and starts the show playing.

They end up watching the entire show, and then Phil offers to make Brock dinner. The big alpha accepts on the condition that he gets to help-out. It's the first time in years Phil's cooked for and with an alpha. Brock, as it turns out, isn't much of a cook, but he's very willing to follow orders, and does so well. With dinner, they watch random episodes from random series, talking about nothing in particular.

"It's getting late." It's almost ten when Phil says this, and Brock glances down at his watch. He nods slightly, and gets to his feet.

"It is. I should let you get some rest. Your ex's father's will thing is tomorrow, right?" Brock's collected the dirty coffee cups, and is rinsing them out.

"Yeah." Phil follows him over to the kitchen, and leans against the counter. "You know you don't have to do that."

"I don't, but my Ma and Pa raised me right." Brock turns to him with a grin, and Phil nods vaguely.

"I remember." His mind summons up how he acted when his heat was first breaking, and Phil buries his face against his arms. "I'm sorry about what happened Monday night, by the way."

"Don't." Brock's hand rests briefly on Phil's shoulder, and then he steps away quickly. "Nothing happened that you have to apologise for, Boss." There's a laugh in Brock's tone, and Phil raises his head to look at him. "Heats are…" Brock trails off and sighs. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with them."

"I dunno, ruts can't be much fun either." Phil smiles, and Brock's ears turn bright red.

"Yeah… It's uh… I... Well, they kind of are to be honest." He laughs awkwardly, which causes Phil to burst out laughing at how ridiculous the whole conversation is. "What time do you need to call tomorrow morning?"

"Stay." Phil's no idea why he blurted that out, and it looks like Brock doesn't either. It doesn't answer Brock's question, and it's not been telegraphed at all. "I mean, I've to call at eight, and I want to have someone here because I'm not gonna be able to handle seeing _him_ again, _and_ Colt won't be able to, and Seth doesn't even know because I'm a shitty papa, and you can have my bed, and-"

"Phil." Brock pulls him into a loose hug. "The couch looks plenty comfy." Phil closes his eyes, and rests his forehead against Brock's chest, letting the big alpha hold him for as long as he dares. Brock's hands rest lightly on his shoulders, his breath lightly ruffling Phil's hair as they stand together for probably too long.

"Thank you, Brock." Phil murmurs, and steps away. "Lemme grab you a pillow and a blanket." Phil heads for his bedroom. He can feel tears building in his eyes, and he's no idea why, no idea why he's leaning so heavily on his friend at the moment, but eternally grateful for Brock's generous support. When he re-enters the living room, Brock's got a pan of milk on the stove, stirring it slowly.

"You looked like you needed this, Boss." Brock doesn't turn to look at him, as Phil starts assembling a bed on the couch.

"What is it?" He takes a seat at the kitchen table, and Brock pours out two cups of warmed milk.

"My Pa's secret recipe. Milk, honey, and cinnamon, guaranteed to send even the most restless mind to sleep." Brock blows on the contents of his cup and takes a sip. "Go on, try it." Phil picks the cup up and a brief flash of a memory comes to him. A memory of drinking something he'd not watched being made before, of a night that left him aching, sobbing, and swearing to never go on the road with Jeff ever again. Brock looks at him curiously, and Phil can feel his breathing speeding up for no good reason. "Boss?" Brock sets he cup down, and stares at Phil with concern.

"Try both of them." Phil's voice is annoyingly breathy and weak. Brock looks confused, but nods. He takes a sip of his, and then one from Phil's cup. Phil watches him closely for a while, Brock merely looks puzzled, but doesn't say anything. "Okay…okay…" Phil sighs softly, and forces a smile to his face once he's sure that there's nothing wrong with either cup.

"I'm good at listening." Brock says after a moment, and moves each cup to be beside each other. "Which one do you want?" Phil's mind is screaming at him, trying to work out which one is the one he should take because his mind is still replaying that memory, and it's not sure which one is going to leave him drugged up. His hand closes around the handle of the cup that had originally been intended for him, and he takes a sip. He can trust Brock. The big alpha is proving over and over again he can trust him. He's safe with Brock, completely safe with Brock.

"I just wanted to make sure it was cool enough to drink." Phil takes a sip, and hopes that Brock doesn't push further than that, because he's not entirely certain he should be talking about his past too much. Brock's his friend and he'd like to keep it that way.

"It should be now." Brock smiles slightly, and starts drinking. "I won't push, but if you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen, okay?" Phil nods, and sips at the warm milk again.

"I told you he was a musician, didn't I?" Phil's staring down at the contents of his cup, but he can see Brock nod slightly. Brock's good at listening, and Phil _certain_ that anything he tells Brock won't earn him anything but Brock's smile and understanding. "The last time I went with him on tour, someone drugged my drink, and… I don't know what happened, but I know how I felt when I woke up. I went home that day and never went with him again." Phil takes a longer drink, and looks up at Brock. The big alpha's knuckles are white, his lips pressed firmly together, his eyebrows knit, and his skin red. He looks furious, but Phil _knows_ it's not at him. He's fairly sure that Brock is mostly incapable of being angry with him.

"Did you press charges?" Brock takes a deep breath, and meets Phil's gaze with a timid smile. There's a little part of Phil that's incredibly flattered that Brock seems so angry on his behalf. Jeff had shrugged and said that's what happens on the road sometimes.

"What would have been the point? It was in the south, all that would have happened was they'd have told me I was a slut, and shouldn't be out with drunk alphas." Phil takes another drink, and reaches over the table to gently place his hand on Brock's. "I spoke to my therapist about it, and usually I'm fine with everything that happened between me and him, but I've not seen Jeff since before our divorce. His letter, talking with him, and this call tomorrow, it's bringing back a lot of things I thought I'd been able to put behind me. This time tomorrow, it'll all be over again, and I can get back to moving forward." Brock had been staring down at where Phil's hand was resting on his, but he looks up at that, and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry that there's so much that has to be put you behind you, Boss. You want me to ask my real boss to get your ex in the cage with me?" Brock grins, a ridiculous grin that Phil supposes would be intimidating if it wasn't Brock wearing it, or maybe it's just Phil that's not intimidated by it. For all his size and strength there's nothing about Brock that intimidates Phil at all.

"Don't be silly. Unless Jeff's changed a lot in the last ten years, you'd kill him with a look." Phil laughs, and takes his hand away.

"That's the idea, Boss." Brock chuckles, and finishes off his milk.

"Garbage Man, behave." Phil starts drinking his milk in earnest, and can feel a warm, sleepy feeling settling over him. The sort of natural feeling that drinking warm milk gives you, but that doesn't surprise him. Brock wouldn't do something to hurt him. Brock's his friend. The only thing Brock's going to do is protect him, with Brock he's entirely safe, and that's exactly why Phil isn't attracted to him. It's an awful, awkward realisation, but it does make Phil laugh a little. Everything about Brock from his scent to his size makes Phil feel protected, and that's entirely why he's not interested in the big alpha.

"I think it's bedtime, Boss. You're giggling at nothing, and yawning." Brock takes Phil's now empty cup, and sets it in the sink with his own. "You got a spare toothbrush?"

"Yeah, sure. Brock, can I ask you a stupid question?" Brock sits down again, and looks at Phil thoughtfully once more. "What does my scent smell like to you?"

"Your scent?" Brock settles back in his chair. His gaze runs over Phil's face, and he shakes his head. "What's the point of this question?"

"No point, I'm just interested is all." Phil shrugs. There is a point, a silly point, but a point all the same. Jeff always said he smelt like the best whisky in the world, something dark and smoky. It'd always offended Phil slightly. He never liked the idea of smelling like alcohol, mostly because he hates the stuff. It reminds him of his father, and of being on the road with Jeff too much.

"You smell like…" Brock trails off and sighs. "You're going to think I'm dumb as fuck." The big alpha's ears are bright red, and he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "But to me you smell like fresh laundry, and baking bread, or you know the smell of sitting in front of the fire at Christmas time with the tree all done up and a coco in your hand. It's stupid… But you smell like that to me. Soft and sweet. It's a nice smell, it's why we're friends." The opposite to Jeff, the exact and complete opposite to Jeff. "What do I smell like to you?"

"Outside." Phil mutters, and looks away. "You smell like the woods. It's… Jeff smelt like an adventure, like skinny-dipping in the moonlight, or dancing in the rain. He… You don't smell like him." Phil smiles at Brock, and gets to his feet. Dean smells like kissing in a thunderstorm, or walking along a rope bridge. Everyone Phil's ever been attracted to has smelled like _adventure_ , and Brock smells like safety. That's why in his heat Brock never once materialised in his feverish mind. Phil's attracted to bad ideas, and Brock isn't one of those. "Thanks for staying with me, Garbage Man. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

 _Many thanks to **ambroserollinsgirl, Guest, and** **takers dark lover** **.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2017/01/14_**


	12. Chapter 10

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

Phil wakes up to the scent of frying bacon, and for a brief moment has no idea why. Then the fact he'd asked Brock to stay the night comes back to him, and he drags himself out of bed. It's just after six, but Brock looks like he's been awake for a while. The smell of cooking food fills the small apartment, along with the pleasing aroma of coffee. He heads for the bathroom first, then goes to over to greet Brock.

"Morning." Phil calls out softly, and Brock jumps slightly. Phil leans his hip against a counter, and chuckles at how easy it was to spook the giant alpha. Brock grins over at him as his flips a frying egg over. "You didn't need to make breakfast."

"I didn't need to, but I wanted to, so now there's breakfast. I figured you'd want to eat, before you get ready for calling the lawyers." Brock starts plating up, waving away Phil's help. "Sit, I got this." Brock jerks his head in the direction of the kitchen table.

"Lemme at least pour you a coffee." Brock nods in concession to Phil's request, and sets a plate of food down in front of him.

"I wasn't sure what you like, but I definitely knew you wouldn't eat as much as me." Brock's own plate is twice as loaded as Phil, and he almost looks embarrassed as he sits down to eat. "I forgot to ask if you wanted me to stay or go when you're calling last night." Phil looks up from contemplating his coffee at Brock's statement, and shrugs.

"I don't want to keep you if you need to be somewhere." Phil mutters, and takes a sip. Brock leans over the table, takes Phil's coffee cup from him, and sets it down beside his plate.

"Eat." He says it softly but firmly, and Phil can't help but chuckle at him. "I've nowhere to be for a while. Any press inquiries Paul handles, most folk by now know to not bother asking me much of anything anyway. My next fight isn't for a while. The dogs are all handled by Sasha and Bayley. The gym's in good hands. I'm a free alpha ninety percent of the time. So, if you want me here, I'm here." Brock's ears promptly turn red, and he starts eating once more.

"I'd be very grateful if you'd stay then. It's like I said, I'm not going to be able to handle seeing him again." Phil sighs, and makes to grab his coffee cup once more. He can feel the weight of Brock's gaze on him though, so he starts eating instead. "I've changed so much for the worst, and I bet he's still gorgeous." Phil laughs. Brock scoffs, and shakes his head. "It's true! I was as pretty as Seth when I met Jeff!" Phil gets to his feet, and heads to where the old photos are stashed in a drawer. He's kept a lot of photos solely for the purposes of embarrassing Seth when he brings his first potential mate home, but some are just for Phil. The few of him in his youth are there mostly for him to look at mournfully, and wonder what would have happened if he'd stayed in High School. "See. I was a pretty kid." Phil sets the one photo of him on his Bonding Day down in front of Brock. Brock stares at the picture, and then glances up at Phil.

"You've not changed that much to be honest, Boss. You looked beautiful then, and well…nothing much has changed." Brock's entire face is blazingly red, but Phil just shakes his head, and sets another picture down on top of the first.

"I was fourteen in that picture." Fourteen was an awkward time for Phil. He'd gotten taller, but nothing else had grown. He'd looked like an awkward, lanky alpha with long hair and big glasses, not the omega he is. The year after, fifteen when he'd met Jeff, had been better. At fifteen, his hips had filled out, his waist had been naturally small, giving him a lovely figure. It'd also been the year his grandpa had taken him to get contacts to replace his glasses. He'd always told Phil that omegas with glasses don't get dates, never mind mates, and well almost as soon has the glasses had been replaced Phil met Jeff.

"You were a cute kid." Brock chuckles, and grins up at Phil. "You don't need glasses anymore?"

"No, I do. I just wear contacts mostly. It's become a habit to put them in first thing in the morning." Phil gathers to two photos up, and puts them away. "Sethie says I look weird in glasses, so I always put them in before doing anything else." Brock nods slightly, and returns to eating. There's a perplexed look on his face, like he's debating saying something, but is deciding against it for some reason. "I'm gonna jump in the shower real quick, then get ready." Phil stands after breakfast, and sets his dirty plate in the sink. " _Please_ leave the dishes. I'll do them once I speak to the lawyers, and before you say anything, you've done more than enough for me." Phil smiles softly, and Brock looks like he's going to argue, but nods once.

"Alright. I'll nip over to the gym, and get cleaned up there. I'll be back around seven-thirty, okay?" Brock lightly rests his hand on Phil's shoulder, and smiles encouragingly at him. Phil nods, and forces a bright smile ot his face. His stomach is rebelling. The mere thought of seeing Jeff again makes him want to vomit.

He showers quickly, and pulls on the nicest black clothes he's got. He probably doesn't look formal enough but it's the best he's got, and Jeff can just deal with it. He washes the dishes, and makes a new pot of coffee, before sitting on the couch staring at the darkened laptop screen. He can see his reflection in it, and winces. He looks old and tired. He feels old and tired to be honest.

"Makeup." Phil mutters to himself, and heads to his bedroom to put a face together. Jeff had never commented on him wearing makeup, but Phil always had to make himself feel better about being with someone so far out of his league, at first at least. Later in their relationship it'd been to cover the bruises. He remembers once Jeff's dad had come over to visit when Seth must have been around four. It'd been about seven in the morning, Phil was getting breakfast ready for Seth before he'd finished getting himself ready to face the outside. Jeff's dad had stared at him in shock, and Phil had asked what was wrong. Jeff's dad had dragged him to the bathroom, and made him look at his reflection. Phil hadn't seen anything wrong with the black eye he was sporting, and had assured him that he'd cover it up before work. Ten years and lifetime ago. Phil sighs, and starts applying his foundation. It'd once been a routine, making his face look presentable, but now he rarely bothers. His skills aren't what they once were, and he's not used wearing makeup anymore. It feels itchy, and he's aware of it constantly, but he will admit he looks younger made-up. A knock at the door draws his attention from his reflection. Phil scampers to answer it, and let Brock back in.

"You look different all made-up, Boss." Brock smiles at him, and Phil shrugs awkwardly.

"I figured, I should make an effort." Phil ducks his head, feeling a little odd under Brock's thoughtful gaze.

"If we're making an effort, you want me to do your hair? I do a mean French braid." Brock smiles, and fidgets slightly, his ears tinged with red. Phil looks at him oddly, and doesn't bother fighting the chuckle that bubbles up his throat.

"Sure. Lemme fetch my hairbrush." Phil gestures towards his bedroom, and nips off to fetch the brush, tossing it to Brock, then takes a seat at the kitchen table. Brock carefully takes Phil's hair down, and runs the brush through it a few times, before starting work on the braid. "How come you know how to do this?"

"I had lots of little siblings… Jamie, my youngest brother, used to love getting his hair done, and even though we had a Ma and Pa, there just wasn't enough hands to indulge a five-year-old omega who wants a new hairdo every ten minutes." Brock laughs softly, his fingers gently moving Phil's hair around out of his sight. "I can do mean Princess Leia buns too." Phil chuckles at that comment. "He had the prettiest hair… All my siblings did. I miss them being little now that they're all grown-up and have kids. Jamie's got two little omegas now, a boy and girl. He's over in Minnesota, married some trucker who sounds more like a Canadian than a good red-blooded American should, but he's a good dad and a better mate, so I can't complain." Brock fingers are oddly soothing, his tone low and soft, all conspiring to take any of the tension that'd been in Phil drift away. "I should go visit them some time. It's been a while since I've paid any of them a visit."

"How many do you have to visit?" Phil's almost feeling sleepy with Brock's big fingers gently working through his hair. He can't remember the last time anyone other than Seth touched his hair, and he certainly can't remember the last time an alpha did his hair for him. He thinks it might have been at his bonding ceremony. His hairstylist had been an alpha, who was probably a beta but keeping it secret because North Carolina wasn't that friendly to betas.

"Too many." Brock laughs, and lets ties off the end of Phil's braid. "One alpha, and two sisters, and three brothers."

"Seven? Oh my lord… Your papa must have been exhausted." Phil reaches behind him to touch Brock's handiwork.

"Oi, you'll mess it up." Brock gently bats Phil's hands out of the way, and there's the sound of Brock's phone taking a picture. "Here, does it look okay?"

"You're good at this." Phil grins up at him, and catches sight of the time on Brock's phone's screen. Phil needs to call into the lawyers in ten minutes, and the tension starts seeping back into him. "So, your papa had seven kids?"

"Yup. I said that my Da liked having little ones around, didn't I?" Brock takes a seat in the chair opposite Phil, and stares down at his phone. "Here. That's all the Lesnar kids at Pa's funeral." Seven very blond children, all sombre faced and dressed in black. "You see the tall omega at the back?"

"Uh-huh." Phil's staring down at them, trying to imagine them being kids, and how much work seven children must have been.

"That's my oldest sister, Grace." Brock takes his phone back, and flicks through a few more pictures. "Her wedding was the last one I went to. She had to wait for it to be legal for them to get married in state, but they've been together for years. Da was so proud to be giving her away to such a good omega. She married a doctor don't you know." The picture Brock shows him has his sister standing beside a grinning black omega, both in suits looking delighted with their lives. Brock's father is in the background of the picture, his thumbs up, and a grin on his face, beside him his bond-mates are both face-palming. "Da used to like to photobomb." Brock chuckles.

"Your Da's religious?" Phil asks softly, and Brock shrugs slightly.

"He's traditional more than anything. He does subscribe to tri-bonding, but I've never been sure if that was because he was religious or he just feel in love with two omegas. We'd go to church every week, but I don't remember him subscribing to much else to be honest. He always was fond of a drink." Brock smiles fondly down at his phone, and then turns up to Phil. "I think if he was himself, you'd like him. He had the best sense of humour." Phil nods absently, and takes a deep breath.

"I suppose it's time I called." Phil gets to his feet, and heads over to the couch. The first person Phil sees when the Skype call connects is a lawyer. He recognises him from the divorce. He'd been efficient and pleasant. That's about all Phil can remember about the alpha. The lawyer smiles politely at Phil, and nods in greeting.

"Morning, Messer Brooks. You're looking much better than the last time I saw you." His drawl brings back so many memories that are neither good nor bad, just memories. The people in North Carolina had been nice, and he's little more to say about them than that. He'd been welcomed as Jeff's bond-mate, and that'd been how they'd treated him. The other half of one of their own.

"Morning." Phil nods slightly, and adjusts the computer screen, hoping to catch himself in a better light. Brock meets his eyes with a slightly smile, and Phil takes a deep breath, steeling himself for when he spots Jeff and his new mate. The lawyer moves, and that's when he first sees them. Jeff's changed. Gone are the strange colours he'd put in his hair, gone is his pointed thinness, gone is the manic glee that'd be in his eyes. In place of the slightly crazed alpha he was is one who looks tired, sad, but healthy. Jeff turns to the screen and stares at Phil. His mate is sat beside him, and she glowers at Phil. "Jeff." Phil offers a greeting, and Brock moves from sitting on the chair to sitting on the couch. He's still off camera, but having the big alpha closer is comforting. Phil glances over at him with a slight smile that Brock returns easily.

"You look _so_ good, Philly." Jeff's still staring at him. The camera's resolution isn't great, but it feels almost like Jeff's in the room with him, staring at him with slightly bewildered and unblinking eyes.

"I didn't like being called Philly when we were bonded, and I still don't, Jeffery." Phil snaps, and that seems to jolt Jeff out of his staring. He laughs awkwardly, and takes his mate's hand in his.

"You never were one for pet-names, Philip." Jeff mutters, and glances over at his mate. Jeff's brother's face fills the screen suddenly. Matt looks strange. His face is oddly bloated, his hair frizzed out bizarrely, and there's a white streak in it.

"Well, well, dear Philip. It's been some time." Matt grins at him, and Phil nods. He knows he's staring now, but he can't help it. The last time he'd seen Matt, he'd looked sane. Now he looks like he's on day release. "I finally got my big break… I'm going to set after this, and having the hair in character is faster." He smiles fondly at Phil, and settles back into his seat. "Where's little Seth? He must but what, fifteen now? I know you demanded no contact from us, but we do still think of him. It was his birthday the other day, right?"

"What?" Phil blurts out, and glares over at Jeff. "I never asked for that. I never said anything about you not being able to see Seth." Phil can feel his hands shaking, his tone has dropped low and poisonously soft. Jeff's face is the stony mask it always became when Phil caught him in a lie, and Matt looks incredibly confused.

"Jeff said that once he signed away his parental responsibility you didn't want any of us to have anything to do with Seth." Matt sounds oddly distressed, and is looking between Phil on the computer screen, and his brother. Jeff slams his hand on the table, and gets to his feet.

"Can we just get on to dad's will." He's looking at someone Phil can't see, but presumes is the lawyer. The lawyer says something that isn't picked up by the computer, and comes back into frame. "Read the bit for him first. We don't need him hanging around." Jeff points over at the computer screen, and Phil can feel bile building up in the back of his throat.

"What other lies have you told them about me, Jeff?" Phil asks sharply, and Jeff turns to glare at him. His mouth opens and closes uselessly a few times, and Matt is once more glancing between the two of them. "I never asked for your family to stay away from me or from Seth. I _wanted_ them to stay in touch. Hell, I wanted you to stay in touch with him, but-"

"Shut up! You fucking divorced me! You decided you didn't want anything to do with me! So, shut the fuck up!" Jeff snarls, and the connection is severed presumably by Jeff cutting the call. Phil sits back on the couch and looks over at Brock. The big alpha wraps an arm around his shoulders, and lets Phil rest against his side. He feels numb. His hands are still shaking. His eyes are burning, but Brock's a warm solid presence beside him, grounding him in the reality that Jeff and his lies are far away, and can't hurt him anymore.

"You okay?" Brock asks softly after a while, and Phil can only shrug. He's no idea if he's okay or not. He's no idea if he can process what he's just heard, and no idea what to do with the information once he does.

"I didn't tell them they couldn't see Seth." It's the only thing Phil can force out, and Brock's hand tightens on his shoulder for a second.

"I know, and I think they know that too, now at least." Brock squeezes Phil lightly, and moves to take his arm away.

"Leave it. For a little while, please. I need… Just leave your arm where it is, please." Phil knows he's being selfish, but he needs comfort in this moment, and Brock's arm around him is just that. For a long time, they sit in silence. Phil's mind whirling with speculations about what other lies Jeff may have told, what things that were true have been made lies, and what truths are were made false by Jeff's words. The computer rings with a Skype call, and Brock moves out of frame once more. "Hello?" Phil answer the call, and this time the lawyer looks stony-faced and grey. He nods once, and a forced smile comes over his face.

"I'm sorry, Messer Brooks. Jeff…" The lawyer shakes his head, and sighs.

"I punched him." A smile spreads over the lawyer's lips as Matt's loud, gleeful voice comes over the speakers. "I've also a good ten years of birthday cards and Christmas presents to send up to Sether." Matt's gleefully smirking face appears over the lawyer's shoulder. "I've missed the little monkey." Matt smiles at Phil. "He's got a little cousin from me now too." Matt holds up at baby between one and two, still grinning at Phil. "Say hello to your uncle Phil, Maxell." The baby waves a pudgy hand, and says _hello_ too loudly and badly, but with a glee level matched solely by his father. Phil can feel his eyes beginning to water, and swipes a tissue from the Kleenex box on the table. He waves to the little baby, which gets a cheerful gargle from him and another hello.

"Can I finish reading the will, so we can let Phil get on with his day?" The lawyer cuts in, and Matt steps away from the camera. "I hope you won't object to me giving Matt your Skype id." The lawyer smiles awkwardly once more, and Phil shakes his head. He's not entirely sure he can trust himself to speak right then. His eyes are still watering, and he doesn't want to examine why too closely just then. "Oh good. Now." He sets a large wooden box down on the table. Phil recognises the box easily. It was a toybox Jeff's dad had made for Seth when he was first born. "The will is very clear that this box, and everything in it is what Mr Hardy left you."

"What's in it?" Phil clears his throat after speaking, cursing himself for sounding so frail. The lawyer shrugs, and taps the lid of the box.

"I've no idea to be honest, Messer Brooks. It's padlocked up, and Gil would never tell me what was in the damn thing. He just had me keep it here. I'm going to need to get your address to send it up to you."

"Jeff has it." Phil can't help but wondering what might be in that box. Once it'd been filled with toys, but he's fairly sure that Jeff's dad wouldn't leave him Seth's baby toys, especially as Phil had thrown those out when Seth had out-grown them.

"And we don't have Jeff… Matt really did land a good one on him." The lawyer chuckles, and rubs his eyes. "If I can't get it from him, would you mind leaving it with me on here?"

"Sure." Phil moves closer, and types his address in quickly. It seems like much easier to just give the lawyer his address now rather forcing him to try to get it out of Jeff. Phil has the distinct feeling Jeff won't be acknowledging Phil's existence for a long time after being punched in the face by his own brother over Phil.

"Thank you, Messer Brooks." The lawyer's gently moved aside by Matt once more. The older Hardy brother grins at Phil, and seems to just stare at him for a moment.

"Do you have a picture of Sether? I've not seen him in so long, and-" Without letting Matt finish Phil holds up a random selfie of him and Seth. "Jesus… He's really taking after you, isn't he?"

"A little." Phil mutters, smiling awkwardly. Matt had always been nice, a little too intense, but nice. "He's a bit more _bold_ than I ever was at his age."

"Bold? That's probably from Jeff, I guess. He always was a headstrong asshole." Matt laughs, and glances down. He vanishes for a moment, and reappears with his son once more. The baby makes a grab for the screen, and Phil can't help but laugh, which makes the baby giggle.

"What's your little one called again?" Phil supposes he should try remembering the baby's name, because he has the feeling that Matt might message him sometime in the future.

"Maxell. Reby, come on over." A pretty female omega comes over and stands beside Matt, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek as she tucks herself in at his side. "This is my mate, Reby. Reby, Phil. Phil, Reby." She smiles politely, and nods at him. Phil returns her gestures.

"You make a lovely pair. He's a beautiful baby. You're lucky he's taking after his mama, Matt." Phil laughs, and Matt barks an amused guffaw. "I'll let you guys get on with the rest of the will now. It was really good to see you again, Matt. I'm free most weekends, if you wanna call and catch Seth."

"Next weekend, Saturday about ten your time okay?" Matt's smiling, and Phil's surprised that he'd want to set a date so quickly. Phil nods, and Matt grins at him. "Great! We'll see you then!"

"Sure. Saturday at ten." Phil smiles, and disconnects the call. Brock's watching him carefully. Phil forces a smile at him, before closing his eyes and resting his head against the back of the couch. "I don't know what to say." Phil says it softly, but Brock seems to have heard everything he can't work out how to say, because he settles beside Phil without a single word, and lets Phil rest against him in silence. "I never thought he'd lie to them. Always thought it was my fault that they stopped caring about Seth. I _never_ wanted him to not know them. I…" The first sob, Phil chokes back and blinks away. "I thought it was because I moved him away from them, or because I divorced Jeff, or something else that was my fault. I never thought he'd do _that_ to his own son." Brock doesn't say anything, he just draws Phil to his side, and lets his weep against his shoulder. It should be embarrassing to break down in front of Brock, but somehow the single last thing Phil feels is embarrassed. Instead he's entirely relieved that Brock's there. The strong, solid presence is exactly what he needs right then. Brock's soft, fresh scent is so much more soothing than any other that could be filling his senses just then.

"I sent Colt a message." Brock says after Phil's calmed down. He still feels weak and teary, but at least he's stopped actually crying. "He said he'd be over soon."

"Okay." Phil mutters, closing his eyes, and losing himself in the feeling of Brock's arm around his shoulders. He feels unreasonably safe where he is, like nothing could hurt him if it had to go through Brock first. "Thank you for being here for me. I don't think I'd have made it through this without you."

"You'd have made it just fine, Boss." Brock mutters, and Phil swears he feels the big alpha press a kiss to his hair. "You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, you know that?" Brock pulls away slightly, so he can look Phil in the eyes. "Your mascara's run a little." Brock leans over, and grabs a Kleenex, then dabs at Phil's face gently. "There you go."

"Thank you, Brock." Phil's certain he's not meant something as much as he means that simple statement in a long time. There's a lot he has to thank Brock for, and he's not entirely sure how to go about thanking the huge alpha properly. Anything he could offer, he's sure Brock would turn down with a smile, and wave of his massive hand. Maybe ten minutes pass before Colt lets himself into Phil's apartment.

"How'd it go?" As soon as the question's left Colt's mouth, Phil finds himself on his feet, and breaking down once more, without a word, Colt wraps him in a tight hug. Phil stands in his best friend's arms sobbing for no real reason he can work out beyond he's incredibly hurt that Jeff would hurt not only his own family, but also his own son just because Phil divorced him. It makes no sense to him, and he had no idea that Jeff had hated him so much. "That well, huh?" Colt mutters, walking them towards the couch. "You sticking around, Brick?" Phil snorts a soft laugh at Colt's purposeful misnaming of Brock, and pulls away from him to sit on the couch once more.

"I'll make a pot of tea." Brock's already in the kitchen, flicking the kettle on. "Then I'll head off." Phil twists so he can look at the big alpha. His back is turned, but there's a strange tension in his shoulders, like he's holding something back.

"You okay, Garbage Man?" Phil calls softly over to him, and Brock turns with a tight smile on his face. He looks like he's holding back a great deal of rage, and putting on a brave face for Phil. It's sweet and oddly flattering, and once Phil curses his lack of attraction to the huge alpha. If alphas like Brock were his type, Phil's life would be so much easier.

"I'm fine. Although, are you sure you don't want me to contact my real boss, Boss?" Brock grins at him, and Phil hears Colt take a sharp intake of breath. He supposes that the grin on Brock's face must be intimidating if you're not Phil. He's almost entirely certain that he'll never be intimidated by Brock. Phil laughs softly, and shakes his head. "It's a standing offer. In fact, I'd be happy to do it without my boss's permission or an octagon. At this stage, I'd settle for a parking lit." Brock laughs, and sets the teapot down on the coffee table. "I'll shoot off then."

"I'll see you Sunday?" Phil gets to his feet to see Brock to the door for no real reason other than he feels like he should. Brock'd been there for him, and this is the least he can do to repay Brock his incredible kindness.

"I'll be in the gym if you wanna grab another smoothie." Brock grins. "You gonna stop by the gym too Colt?" Brock calls over to Colt, who's still sat on the couch, watching them both with an odd little smirk on his face.

"Me in a gym? Are you trying to imply that I am a little _too_ cuddly? I get plenty of workout with my kids, thank you very much Mr Lesnar. Although, having seen you shirtless, I'd not object to watching you work out." Colt laughs, and Brock's ears turn crimson. He turns to Phil, clearly looking for support, but Phil can't help but chuckle.

"He looks even more impressive in person." Phil winks over at Colt, and this time Brock's entire face is crimson.

"I'm going. I'll see you Sunday, Boss. Take care of him, Colt." Brock waves to Colt, and smiles fondly at Phil. Before he can leave, Phil wraps his arms around him in a hug.

"Thank you again, Brock. You're a good friend to me, and I wish I could be as good a friend to you." Phil squeezes the big alpha tightly, and Brock laughs softly.

"You're a perfectly good friend to me, Boss." Brock assures him, and leaves the apartment.

"So, are we going to talk about your phone call, or the garbage man, because I feel like both are worthy of discussion, but only one is going to be fun." Colt pours out two cups of tea, and levels Phil with a look. Neither topic is something Phil really wants to talk about. There's nothing going on with him that he particularly wants to discuss, from his ex to Brock to his continued attraction to Dean, there's no alpha Phil wants to mention right now. What he wants instead is to lose himself in the life of someone else.

"Can I put off talking about both, and instead let you talk shit at me for a while?" Colt nods with an understanding smile on his face, then starts bitching about Cena. Phil takes a sip of tea, settles more comfortably on the couch, and listens to Colt's rambling.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **lovergyul,** **syreina, ambroserollinsgirl, takers dark lover, Guest, and Rebellecherry** **.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2017/01/28_**


	13. Chapter 11

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

"Hey Papa!" Seth gets back from school with a flurry of activity, and enthusiasm. The hug Phil gives him is entirely too tight, but it's been a rough day. Even after the divorce Jeff had been working to ruin not only Phil's but more importantly Seth's life. It's a burning ball of annoyance that's only mildly mitigated by the fact that Matt seems to be holding it squarely against his brother and not Phil. "You okay?"

"Right now, yes." Phil presses a kiss to Seth's forehead, and pulls his son into another hug. "How much homework you got this weekend?"

"Not so much. They're going easy on us for some reason. Xavi thinks it's to lure us into a false sense of security." Seth laughs, and heads for his bedroom as soon as Phil releases him from the hug. "I got a present for you from Xavi's papa!" Seth calls out, and quickly reappears from his bedroom dressed in loose lounging around the house clothes. He thrusts a Tupperware box at Phil, and grins at him. "Apparently, these are the best brownies that Big E can make." Seth grins at him, and then spots Colt sat on the sofa. "Uncle Colt?" Seth gives his pseudo-uncle a hug, and settles down beside him.

"What you wanna watch, Sethie? Your papa and I have exhausted all the boring old omega shows, and are hoping that you'll be able to point us to something worth watching." Colt tilts his jaw in the direction of the laptop. Phil sets the Tupperware down on the coffee table, and decides that the brownies will need coffee to wash them down.

"So, I spent all afternoon indulging your avoiding dealing with shit, and now that Seth's in bed, I believe I'm owed some answer." Phil glances over at Colt with a blank look. "You gonna tell me what the hell happened, or do I have to pump the garbage man for information?" Phil smiles awkwardly, and shakes his head. It definitely best if he tells Colt what happened himself. In all honesty, he's glad Colt's waited this long to push for answers from him. He's needed this much time to be able to come to something like peace with the situation.

"He lied to them. That's why his family cut us off. He told them that I didn't want anything from them." Phil sighs, and takes a sip of the tea Colt poured for him. "I always assumed that they resented me divorcing Jeff, but it turns out that Jeff resented me for that and they probably didn't much care." Phil laughs bitterly, and Colt frowns at him.

"Jeff's an ass. We've established this years ago, Punkers." Colt blows on his tea, but sets the cup down rather than drinking. "So, what happened?" There's a mild, almost non-expression on Colt's face, an expression Phil recognises from when not long after they first met. He'd told Brock he had a therapist, and the truth is he does, it's just his therapist is his friend. Colt might specialise in child psychology, but he did have to study adult too, and there's something soothing about telling him everything.

"His brother punched him, and Matt's gonna call next Saturday." Phil smiles slightly, and pushes the honey jar closer to Colt. Unlike Phil, he doesn't actually like tea, and always fills it with so much honey that the tea leaves are drowned out, Phil will admit to liking a little in some teas, but there's no way he could drink Colt's hot honey water.

"Why didn't you bond Matt? He sounds like the more sensible brother." Colt takes a drink, and adds more honey to his tea.

"He looks like a pig. It doesn't matter, I think anyway… I mean it does matter, because fuck Jeff. Seth should have grown up knowing at least one of his grandparents, but…I dunno, I don't think I'm surprised, you know?" Phil sighs, runs a hand over his hair, feeling Brock's French braid still in place. "Jeff was a piece a shit, and he's still a piece of shit, and I'm not surprised."

"That's either very mature or very depressing, and I'm not sure which to be honest." Colt smiles at him wryly. "You could have contacted them."

"I know." Phil takes another sip of his tea, and stares down at his hands. "I never wanted to. I wanted to make raise Seth on my own, and I didn't want them trying to get us back together…Jesus. I knew they wouldn't, but I wanted…I don't even know what I wanted, Colt." Phil looks up at Colt, and fights back a wince at the look on his friend's face. "I'm sorry Gil's dead. He was a good alpha, and it's a shame that his piece of shit son wasn't." Phil barks a quiet laugh, and grins over at Colt. "I'm telling you, I better have raised Seth better than my parents raised me. If he runs off at sixteen with some asshole, I'm chasing his ass down, and dragging him back here."

"I'll drive." Colt smiles vaguely, and pats one of Phil's hands. "Enough about past bad choices, you wanna tell me why Brock was here?"

"He stayed over last night and did my hair too." Phil smirks at the scandalised look that crosses Colt's face.

"You're playing with fire, Messer Brooks. That alpha is big as fuck, and those MMA guys are all on something…You wanna be careful if he decides he doesn't want to be in the friend zone, you might not make it out." Colt looks worried, but Phil shakes his head.

"It's _really_ not like that. My heat came on Monday night, and I was practically begging him for his knot, and you know what he does?" Colt shakes his head. "He tells me to sit down and be quiet."

" _What?_ Is he beta?" Colt sounds bewildered, and Phil shrugs. He's not surprised that Colt would ask that question, being beta is generally the only way an alpha would turn down an omega in heat.

"Not as far as I know. I'm just very much not his type, I guess." Phil smiles slightly. He's carefully not thinking too much about how Brock said that he didn't sleep with his own type, because Phil's entirely certain that even if he was Brock's type, the alpha seems very determined to not sleep with him. It takes more than a strong mind to resist an omega in heat. He's never considered it before, but maybe Brock really is beta. He supposes he could ask, but that might be too personal a question.

"You think I'm his type? I mean he is mine, big, strong, muscly…I'm getting kinda sick of being single." Colt drains his tea, and starts slowly turning the cup around in his hands. "And fuck knows that having Cena's dumb, if attractive, ass in the home is getting me all _broody_."

"Broody? Spill, Scotty, spill." Phil takes the cup from him, and sets it on the table.

"There's nothing to spill. I'm just feeling my biological clock ticking. If I want a kid of my own, instead of the ones no one else wants, I'm gonna have to get a mate soon." Colt pulls a very dissatisfied face, and leans back in his chair. "I wanna get bonded, I wanna be mate, be a papa, be everything I spend most of my time telling myself I don't."

"Where's this come from?" Phil props his chin up in one hand, the other still wrapped around his teacup.

"I don't know. I'm getting old, and Cena's hot as fuck, and why the hell am I blurting this all out?" Colt wipes a hand over his face, and sighs.

"To distract me. I'm glad you're sharing, but we both know that's why." Phil smiles slightly, and Colt returns the gesture. "You ever tried talking to Cena? You work with the guy, there must be a million chances to talk to him about this."

"Half the time I want to punch him in the face, the other half we're talking about the kids. He winds me the fuck up, and I still wanna take his knot. I need to find me an alpha that's my type, but not also a complete ass." Phil laughs softly at Colt's comment, nodding along.

"I hear you there. Our type, but not an asshole is what we all need. On the subject of types, should I call Dean?" Phil braces himself of the outburst from Colt at this seemingly random change of topic, but instead his friend merely look at him thoughtfully.

"He featured during your heat?" Colt raises an eyebrow at Phil's embarrassed nod, and steeples his fingers. "We know that he's probably an asshole, we know that he makes you feel unsafe-"

"I never-"

"We _know_ he makes you feel unsafe." Colt ignores Phil's attempt at an interjection pointedly, and Phil lets his mouth snap closed as his friend smiles at him kindly. "And yet…Has he ever given any indication of not being a piece of shit?"

"Hints. There've been hints of not being shitty here and there. His friend vouched for him, and he didn't seem that bad when he apologised to me, let me clarify, drunkenly apologised to me." Phil waves away the harsh comments Colt was clearly preparing for that statement. "There's potential in him, and I'm lonely. I love Seth more than anything, but I'm lonely. I want someone there for me for a change." Phil shakes his head, a sullen smile spreading over his lips.

"You don't think that this Dean is the one, do you?" Colt leans over the table, and taps on the back of Phil's hand, drawing his attention to Colt's enquiring expression.

"No, probably not, but I won't know for sure unless I try." Phil considers Colt carefully for a moment, and Colt shakes his head firmly before Phil can say anything. "Neither will you."

"Seriously, he annoys the shit out of me." Colt mutters, look away sullenly. "Fine, fine. I'll talk to him about something other than the kids. That's the best I can do before you try pushing."

"It's enough. You talk to Cena, and I'll…I'll text Dean." Phil forces a bright smile to his lips as he stands and walks around the table. He leans down and wraps his friend in a tight hug. "You gonna stay tomorrow too? I wanna nice alpha free day."

"Why do you think I brought an overnight bag with me?" Colt laughs softly, and hugs Phil back tightly.

Phil spends Saturday exactly how he'd wanted. The only people he sees are his son and his best friend. The only problem he has to worry about is how appropriate the movie they're watching is for Seth. It's a day he's needed for a long time, and one he revels in right up until Colt goes home, and Phil tries to explain the situation with Jeff to his son. On Saturday night, Seth had proven himself to be Phil's son more than anything. He'd been furious on Phil's behalf, and utterly bewildered as to why his uncle Matt wanted to call to speak to him, and why he was sending ten years' worth of back-dated gifts. Seth, like his papa, is very able to feel wrath for injustices against others, but not so good at feeling it for his own injustices. It'd been an awkward conversation that had left Seth fuming, and Phil slightly worried that Charlotte was going to have a very uncooperative pupil come Seth's Sunday lesson.

"He's pushing himself hard today." Brock sets a tall paper cup of juice down in front Phil, and takes a seat beside him. Phil's sat once more at the upstairs café's table looking out into the gym, watching Seth carefully. His son really does look to be working himself hard, but there's a smile on his face and a determined look in his eyes. He'd been in a far better mood this morning than he had been when he'd gone to sleep last night. It was almost like Seth had made some kind of decision last night, and now this morning he's started work on making his decision a reality.

"He's determined. I don't know where he gets it from." Phil takes a sip of the drink Brock had given him, but doesn't let his gaze waver from his son. "Not from his father or me." Brock snots slightly, and Phil glances over at him. "What?"

"You okay?" Brock's watching him carefully, and Phil shrugs vaguely rather than answering the question. "Alright…if you wanna talk though, I'll listen."

"I messaged Dean an hour ago." Phil mutters, and takes another drink. "The coffee alpha who wasn't interested because of Seth."

"You messaged that asshole?" Brock laughs, and shakes his head.

"I did, and I'm beginning to think I regret it. It was an hour ago." Phil shakes his head, and sighs.

"It's Sunday morning, Boss. Most people are asleep or in church." Brock grins at him, and Phil finds himself wondering as to Brock's motives. Brock always seems so supportive, too supportive, maybe Colt was right about Brock and the friend zone.

"Are you beta?" Phil can't help the hand that clamps over his mouth in that moment. Brock looks at him blankly for a second, and starts laughing. Phil sputters for words as Brock tries to get himself under control once more.

"What makes you ask that?" Brock manages between gasped laughs. Phil awkwardly tries to find the right words to form an answer to that question, but fails and settles on a slight shrug. "I'm not though. Is this about Monday night?" Brocks face has turned crimson, and he's staring down at his paper cup of juice. "About how I wouldn't…" He trails off, and Phil nods quickly. "You're not a one-time kind of omega, Boss." Brock mutters softly, and sighs. "I'm gonna say this once okay?" Phil nods, but Brock looks at him pointedly, clearly wanting verbal confirmation.

"Okay." Phil says it softly, and takes a drink of his juice.

"Alright." Brock mumbles, and clears his throat. "I'm gonna be entirely honest with you, because we're friends, and I want us to stay friends. If you'd asked me to knot you the first time we met, I would have. You're an attractive omega, so before I knew anything about you, I'd have knotted you and then probably never spoken to you again. But, we're friends. I know things about you, you know things about me, and I'm glad. Do I still think you're attractive? Yeah, I do. I've already told you that you're beautiful, but you're my friend above anything else." Phil's convinced that it's physically impossible for Brock to be any redder than he is then. It looks like there can't be any blood in his body that isn't in his face.

"So, now that you know me, you don't wanna _sleep_ with me?" Phil carefully focusses on the wall just to the left of Brock's eyes rather than meet them. The big alpha touches his hand gently, drawing Phil's attention to him.

"You don't want to sleep with me, and that's what's important here." Brock smiles slightly, and meets Phil's eyes. "You're my friend, and because of that I want to do as much as I can to be a good friend to you."

"I'm sorry. I'm being a shitty friend, Garbage Man." Phil shakes his head, and takes a long slurp of his drink.

"I get it. Being friends with alphas is hard work. It's why I'm generally not, and _that_ has to be why most people think I'm beta." Brock looks like he's just had a sudden revelation. "I'm friends with like three alphas max… Fuck it all makes sense now."

"I can't tell if you're mocking me or not." Phil lightly taps Brock on the ankle with his foot, and the big alpha shakes his head.

"I'm being serious. Most of the people I speak to are omega, most of the people I employ are omega. I either come across as anti-alpha or as a closeted beta." Brock shakes his head, and shrugs. "Oh well, fuck it. So, this asshole."

"That's it? You give me a big heartfelt confession, then tell me that my opinion matters more than your libido, and now we just move on?" There's a part of Phil that's alarmed by how much he trusts Brock. The huge alpha should set off so many of his personal fears, and yet there's nothing but a strange sense of peace in Phil when he's around Brock.

"I said I was gonna say it once, and I think the most important thing we have to discuss is what did this text say?" Brock's moved on entirely, and Phil stares at him blankly. "The only thing I said that was important is that we're friends, Boss. Now, let me be a good friend and give you my opinion on this text message." Phil fumbles for his phone, and slides it over to Brock.

 _Dean, I'll give you a chance to tell me your excuses. Noon on Friday at the diner three blocks over. – sent_

"Is it okay?" Phil asks softly, and Brock meets his eyes cautiously.

"It's not terrible, and very to the point if nothing else." Brock slides Phil's phone back over the table. "You sent it an hour ago, right?"

"Yeah… Maybe it doesn't need a reply, I mean it's just giving a date, time, and location. There's not much to be said to that." Phil smiles awkwardly, and slips his phone into his pocket.

"There's plenty to be said to that." Brock mutters, and winces. "He really needs to work on his footing." Almost as soon as the words left Brock's mouth, Charlotte starts gesturing to Seth's feet. "He's gonna be good at this, you know that, right?"

"Hmm?" Phil looks over at Brock, and the big alpha grins at him.

"Seth's gonna be a hell of a fighter. He's coming on in leaps and bounds. It won't be too long before Charlotte's gonna want to enter him into amateur fights." Brock looks oddly proud, and Phil feels weirdly deflated.

"Seriously?" Brock nods, and Phil shakes his head miserably. "I wanted this to be too hard for him, so he'd quit to be honest. I was torn about him learning to defend himself, and now he's learning to attack too." Phil sighs, and rubs his temples. "I know it was shitty of me, but the world is dangerous for omega, and knowing how to fight isn't helpful, it'll just make you more of challenge."

"To the wrong alpha maybe, but he is good, and me and Charlie see a lot in him. I know you want to keep him safe, but believe me when I say that I do too. He's a good kid, and Charlotte's a good teacher. We're looking out for him too." Brock gently touches Phil shoulder, and smiles at him.

"You and Charlie have already been talking about this?" Phil sighs, and Brock nods slightly.

"He'll not be ready for a while. There's kids who've been training for MMA since they were five. Seth's only just started, and our thoughts only hold valid if he stays dedicated to it." Brock pats Phil's shoulder, and grins at him. "Have I given you a different thing to worry about, Boss? I've all but given up trying to stop you from worrying so I've decided that just changing the worries to different ones might help."

"Dick." Phil takes a lazy swipe at Brock's arm, and grins over at him. "I've been worrying for years, it's kinda hard to stop, you know?"

"Hmm. After this wanna go get some lunch? Seth's gonna be starving, and I've been craving some apple pie." Brock grins over at him, and Phil nods absently. The conversation drifts away from the things Phil has to worry about, instead Brock starts rambling about some new dogs that've arrived at his rescue centre. Once Seth's lesson's finished, they head downstairs to meet him and Charlotte.

"So, I was thinking lunch at the diner, kiddo." Phil finds himself absently fixing Seth's hair. Seth tries to bat him away, but Phil is persistent, securing Seth's unruly waves into a neat tail. "You're welcome to come too, Charlotte."

"I'd love to, but I've gotta go watch my youngest two perform. All my hopes for little fighters of my own, and instead I've got two dancers and a whatever it is Dana thinks she's doing." Charlotte sighs, and offers Phil an apologetic smile. "At least your one is doing well. He's picking this up nice and quick." She pats Seth's shoulder. "I'll see you Wednesday, right?"

"Wednesday?" Phil looks over at Seth, and Seth ducks his head, looking embarrassed.

"You remember how I'm working after school at Nattie's kindergarten? Well, I'm putting that money into getting extra lessons, and we agreed that Wednesday was the best night." Seth speaks without pausing for air, and Phil knows he look utterly bewildered. He nods vaguely, and pulls Seth into a hug.

"Can you run him home?" Phil ignores the squawk of protest from Seth as he addresses the question to Charlotte. Seth squirms free, and scowls at Phil for a second before tuning to Charlotte.

"I was planning on it. It's definitely not safe for a little omega to be walking the streets at night. I know I'd be panicking if it was one of mine, so of course I'll make sure he gets home safe. You guys have fun." She ruffles Seth's hair, and leaves with a laugh.

"We ready?" Brock asks, picking up Seth's duffle bag much to Phil's surprise.

"I can carry that." Seth gestures to the bag, and Brock nods absently.

"I'm sure you can, but I'm starving and trying to hurry you all along." Brock grins at him, and starts jogging towards his car, Seth hot on his heels leaving Phil standing at the front door of the gym shaking his head in bemusement. His brain quietly points out that a lot of his problems would be solved if he could seduce Brock into his bed. He feels safe with the big alpha, Seth likes him, he likes Seth, so many problems would just leave him, and as if summoned by that stray thought a text from Dean arrives.

 _Thank you so much! I promise I'll try to not disappoint you this time! - Dean_

* * *

 _Many thanks to **lovergyul,** **takers dark lover, Alicia, syreina, Guest, Rebellecherry, ambroserollinsgirl and Moiself** **.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2017/02/11_**


	14. Chapter 12

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Previous Slash (Jeff Hardy/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

Being in the diner on his days off is something Phil's gotten used. He and Colt often go eat there, but being there waiting for a date isn't something he's familiar with. All week he'd been stressing over this _date_. Brock and Colt were much more helpful than he was in helping him feel more prepared for dealing with Dean. Brock had told him to be himself, then promptly turned crimson, and Colt had told something very similar to be honest. Good solid advice that Phil has the terrible feeling he's going to ignore in favour of trying to please Dean. He's almost convinced that this is a terrible idea, but he won't know unless he tries, and no matter how terrible it is, it can't be as bad as his relationship with Jeff.

"Sorry I'm late." Dean slides into the booth opposite him, jolting Phil from his thoughts. He looks harried, like he's not sure what to expect from this _date_. Phil pulls what he hopes is a sweet, nonthreatening smile at him.

"You're not late, I was just early." Which is entirely true. Colt and Kofi had been there until about twenty minutes ago, when they'd cleared out. Kofi had leaped at the chance to get away from his work when Phil had invited him for morning coffee. Apparently developing games is hard and boring work, and Colt took the opportunity to not be in Cena's company with both hands. He seems to be making no headway on actually learning to tolerating the alpha he has an undeniable crush on. It'd be so much better for all of them if Colt could stop being Colt for a minute and just accept that most alphas are assholes who will annoy you, and tell Cena he'd like his knot. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Confused, but good." Dean levels Phil with a curious look, his head tilted to one side slightly. "Why am I here, Phil?"

"I…in all honesty, Dean, I don't know." Phil laughs awkwardly, and shakes his head. "I think it's because I wanted to give you a second chance. You said you'd got excuses, and I suppose I can listen to them." Dean smiles at him, that brilliant smile that makes Phil's head feel light, and his panties damp. The other waitress delivers their orders, and looks at Phil oddly. They don't work together unless someone's sick, so Phil doesn't feel like he owes the other omega any kind of explanation for why he's been holding court in this corner booth all morning, or why this is his second slice of apple pie.

"I'm grateful you're giving me another chance." Dean looks awkwardly away, that smile still on his lips. "I don't deserve it at all though. I…I'm entirely certain I'm going to fuck this up again."

"Well, maybe you will, but maybe you won't." Phil smiles slightly, and pokes absently at his pie with the fork. "I don't know that it's something we should be talking about though. Neither of us are psychics, it's not like we can tell what's gonna happen."

"True, very true. So, what is it you do?" Dean changes the subject easily enough, and Phil winces slightly at the question.

"I work here most of the time, and clean in the evenings." Phil mutters quickly and quietly, hoping that his words are mostly lost in the chatter of the diner. His hopes are dashed though.

"Waitress, huh? I can see you in the frilly apron, very cute." Dean winks at Phil, a scandalous little smirk on his lips. "You work hard for your kid. I admire that. My ma wasn't anything like that. All she cared about was what she could put in her." Dean stabs his own pie, and takes the forkful of food almost viciously.

"I'm not-"

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just there were so many shitty alphas in and out of my life that the idea of being one of those for someone else…it makes me uncomfortable." Dean takes another bite of pie, more calmly this time, his gaze focussed on the table.

"I'm thinking uncomfortable is an understatement really." Phil waves away what looks like might be Dean preparing an apology. He mostly, kind of, gets it. Dean had a hard upbringing, and he's still dealing with that. It's not uncommon, and Phil's just going to have to quieten the side of him that's rolling its eyes and scoffing at the indulgent side of him. "Seth's fifteen now. He's getting more and more grown-up every day, so I think things might be a little different to your situation."

"Yeah. He looks like a good kid. I've seen him a few times, with you, without you…he's taken after his papa." Dean smiles at him again, and Phil can feel his cheeks heating up. "On the subject of people I've seen you with, who's the _big_ alpha?"

"Brock?" The expression that's fighting for dominance on Dean's face is one that Phil's seen before, on a different face in a different time, but he keeps that thought from gaining any traction, and focusses on the overall handsomeness of Dean.

"Big, red face, white hair, expensive looking car." Dean's lips might be smiling but there's something in his eyes that should have Phil stamping his fork down and leaving, but instead he finds himself nodding.

"That's Brock. He's a friend from my cleaning job. Not that he's a cleaner. I mean with a car like his that'd be silly." Phil laughs softly, and trails off when Dean doesn't even pretend to join in with him. "Why?"

"Huh, no reason." Dean's smile looks sincere this time, and Phil nods again. "I scare you." Dean reaches over the table and touches Phil hand lightly. "You try and hide it, but I can see it. There's something about me that unnerves you."

"Dean." Phil slowly withdraws his hand, and smiles awkwardly at Dean. "You remind me of my ex in a lot of good and terrible ways." Dean nods slightly, and leans back in his chair.

"It wasn't a storybook relationship?" He smiles encouragingly, and Phil shakes his head.

"I don't think this is a first date conversation, Dean." Phil mutters, and takes a sip of his coffee.

"Nah, probably not. So, you're a waitress slash cleaner, you wanna know what I do?" Dean changes the subject once more, that lazy, sexy grin back on his face.

"Sure. Although I already know. You're a radio man with a podcast too." Phil smiles as Dean nods slightly.

"Yeah… I guess we already had half a date, didn't we?" Dean runs a hand through his hair nervously. "I've wanted to talk to you for ages. You've got the best scent of any omega I've encountered in years. We do these live podcasts sometimes, and I've been all over the country, but there's never been a scent like yours." Dean shakes his head, and sighs. "I never know what to say to you…you throw me off."

"Sorry?" Phil's not entirely certain what Dean had been expecting him to say to that. There's nothing that springs to mind, so he sits awkwardly watching Dean, and considering if he's made a bad decision. He feels flighty, but not unduly unconformable.

"You've not done anything. It's all me." Dean shakes his head, and props his chin up on his fist. "I'm a journalist by trade. I work freelance mostly, but I've won a few awards."

"Oh? That's impressive." Phil smiles awkwardly. He's expecting Dean to launch into a long rambling monologue like most alphas, but he always seems to catch himself before he can. It's disconcerting really. Phil knows how to deal with the alphas he's attracted to, but only when they play by the right rules, and it seems like Dean's never even seen the rulebook.

"Meh, it's not hard really. I mostly write about omegaist issues, and even when most of the writers are omega, the awarding bodies will still conspire to give the awards to an alpha." Dean laughs, and shakes his head. "The reason I mention it I think is a second date topic though." Dean laughs again, and gestures towards the door. "You wanna talk and walk?"

"Sure." Phil polishes off his coffee, and gets to his feet. Dean heads straight for the counter to settle the bill. The server flirts with him, and Dean flirts vaguely back, a smile on his lips, although not the smile he levels Phil with. "We all good?" Phil rests his hand lightly on Dean's broad shoulder as he comes to stand by him at the counter. The server smiles tightly at him, and presses the receipt into Dean's hand.

"So, where you wanna walk to?" Dean starts ambling down the street, clearly with no destination in mind. Phil can't remember the last time he felt safe enough to just meander down the street. It was probably back in North Carolina. The streets were pretty safe for a married, white omega down there. Phil falls into step with Dean, and is only mildly surprised when he takes hold of his hand.

"This way's fine." Phil smiles over at him, a little flame flickering into life when Dean smiles back at him, and lightly squeezes his fingers.

"You had a date?" Seth sounds unexpectedly awake when Phil gets home that night. He's spent all night chattering Brock's ear off about his date with Dean, and the big alpha had been quietly supportive, but there'd been a hint of concern in his eyes. It seems Colt and Brock talk far too much, and Colt's spilled every concern and incident to Brock. The big alpha hadn't pushed, but Phil's got no doubts that should he need defending, Brock would be there.

"Yeah, I did." Phil nods, and smiles over at Seth. "Uncle Colt tell you?"

"Yeah…with the guy from before. Papa, I…I'm not happy about that." Seth folds his arms, and glares at Phil. "He scared you, and don't even pretend that he didn't. You might think you can hide things like that from me, but don't forget, I _know_ you, Papa. Every time we've bumped into him, you've been white as a sheet and shaking. He scares you, and I don't think he's gonna be good for you." Phil can't think of a single thing to say to that. Seth's glaring at him, imploring him to speak, but Phil doesn't have anything to say.

"This date went really well." Phil mumbles. He's not used to feeling like he has to justify himself to his son. It should be the other way around, Seth should be trying to get Phil to see that his new date-mate is a good choice, not this. "Did you make me some tea?" Phil decides that changing the subject is the best thing he can do in this moment. Seth keeps his glare for a moment, and then relents, gesturing towards the pot, and the plate of toast on the kitchen table.

The next week goes smoothly. It's strangely pleasant how much of a comfortable pattern everything's fallen into. Seth's been quiet all week since his minor outburst on Friday night. He knows he should give some thought to it, but it's not important. He and Dean have been speaking by text all week, and he's not felt _scared_ once. It's all been going well. The second date has been set for Saturday night, which Phil was a little surprised by because over the course of their conversing Dean admitted that Saturday was when he and Tom usually recorded their podcast. Phil's not asked the name of Dean's podcast yet. He possibly should, but he thinks that listening to it might give him an unfair advantage. Accidently information about the presenters is given away on podcasts, and Phil wants to learn Dean from Dean and Dean alone.

"You look great." Dean smiles broadly as Phil steps into the elevator with him. They arranged to meet there rather than him coming to apartment. Seth might not have said anything, but he'd levelled Phil with an unimpressed look as he and Colt waved Phil off. Colt had easily agreed to babysit Seth for the night. In truth Phil knows that Seth doesn't really need a babysitter, but he'd feel so much better knowing that there's someone there for him to talk to, and Colt might make a case for Phil dating whomever he pleases. There's something unsettling about knowing that his son disapproves of his romantic choice, but it's his choice to make, not Seth's.

"Ah, thank you. You look good too." Phil smiles slightly, and nervously touches the few curled strands of hair falling down the side of his face. Dean really does look good, dressed in a well fitted suit, and his glorious smile. "Where we going?"

"Surprise." Dean grins over at Phil, and gently takes his hand, leading him out of the elevator, and then the building. There's a cab waiting outside, and Dean gestures towards it. "In you get." Phil shakes his head, and gets into the cab. Dean slips in beside him, and takes his hand once more. "I think you'll like this surprise. I checked with Tom, and he thought it'd be a good second date." Dean's thumb rubs over the skin of Phil's hand, and his lips quirk in a smile. "He's kinda pissed that I bailed on recording tonight." Phil makes a vaguely enquiring noise, hoping to encourage Dean to keep talking. He's feeling strangely nervous, in a cab with an alpha he doesn't know well going to an unknown location feels dangerous, so he isn't sure he'd be able to carry off a good conversation. "We drop the episode on a Friday, so we're always like a week behind…I get why we can't record sooner, but really we could drop sooner. Well, if I did the editing I suppose. Poor Tom, he's working himself to death." Dean laughs softly, and looks over at Phil. "He's got two jobs too. One for some lawyer as an assistant, and then as my producer on the show at nights."

"Sounds like he's hiding from something." Phil mutters, and Dean squeezes his hand lightly. "He doesn't have kids, right?" Dean shakes his head. "Not in crippling debt?"

"Well, not beyond student loans." Dean laughs, and Phil nods slightly.

"Hiding from something then." Phil nods sagely, and Dean laughs softly.

"Very wise. Wanna throw any suspicion as to what, or are we just gonna assume he wants to be getting knotted by some hunky alpha?" Dean laughs, and Phil can't help the slightly overly amused giggle that leaves him. "You've got a pretty laugh." Dean tilts Phil's face up, and carefully tucks a stray strand of hair behind his ear. "And the prettiest blush." Phil laughs nervously, and ducks his head down once more.

"Flatterer." He mumbles, and the cabby chuckles softly. Phil pulls away a little, turning to look out of the window, not wanting to give the driver more a reason to be amused by him. Dean doesn't let go of his hand, and for now seems content to let Phil be, his thumb moving slowly over Phil's skin.

"We're here." Dean helps Phil out of the car, pays the driver, and leads the way into the building they've arrived in front of. "I don't know if you dance, but there's food too, and-"

"We're at a dance hall? Like one of those proper old-school dance halls?" He's charmed, stupidly charmed, because Phil's always wanted to something silly like go to one of the hipster-riddled tea dances that've sprung up in the gentrified neighbourhoods nearby.

"Yeah…you're okay with that?" Dean smiles at him, and Phil nods almost gleefully. He wishes he'd dressed nicer, but he'd done the best he could, and at least his hair and make-up look good enough to not be too out of place.

"I'm not the best dancer, but I'm very up for trying." Phil grins at Dean, and finds himself speeding up as the old forties/fifties music gets louder. "How bout you?" Dean laughs loudly, and once they're on the floor his arm wraps around Phil's waist.

"Watch your toes, babe." Dean winks, and they start trying to copy the other couples on the floor.

What feels like hours later, they finally sit down to eat. A couple of Dean's fellow podcasters are there with their mates, so they join them. They keep referring to Phil as the _whiskey omega_ , and it definitely doesn't sit well with him at all. He supposes he could ask why, but Dean seems more embarrassed than anything, and in the end they seem like nice, if pushy people. One of the alphas asks Phil if he'd like to dance, and Phil readily agrees. The alpha might be a horrible dancer, but Phil really does enjoy dancing, so he can't complain, and his toes only got stepped on once. When they get back to the table, Dean takes his hand firmly, and with a stony expression, leads him back out onto the dance floor.

"I'm not gonna lie, I don't like seeing another alpha's hands on you. Date two, and I'm already being a jealous asshole." Dean laughs softly, and squeezes Phil's waist tighter. Phil has no idea what to say to this. Dean's at least acknowledging he's being an asshole, but there's nothing to say to that acknowledgement. "I'm sorry." Dean squeezes him again, clearly hoping for an answer.

"It's okay." Phil mutters softly, because he's mostly certain it is okay. Dean's done nothing wrong, and he does enjoy dancing with Dean more than his friend, because Dean's much better on the floor and on the eye.

They leave at the same time as Dean's podcasting friends, waving off their offers of a ride home. Instead, Dean hails a cab, and tucks Phil to his side closely. Phil lets his head rest against Dean. With his arm around his shoulders, Phil feels content. It's something he's not felt in a long time. The warm, soft rush of attraction, _true_ attraction. Dean's scent is thick and all encompassing, it drowns out everything else around them. The thrill of passionate adventure that lingers in his scent, along with something fragile that calls out the nurturing side of Phil. It'd been in Jeff's scent, that little hint of vulnerability that'd called to the bits of Phil that'd always wanted to be a papa, the parts of him that wanted to support, and cherish, to keep someone else safe from harm.

"You okay?" Dean asks softly, tilting Phil's face up to him once they've settled in the cab, on their way back home. Phil nods, a small smile on his lips. "Good." Dean lightly draws a finger down Phil's cheek. The rest of the journey Phil spends with his eyes closed, lost in the mental images Dean's scent conjures. Mental pictures of lazy mornings spent in a sunbeam, and long nights with damp heat lingering in the air.

"Thank you for tonight, Phil." Dean stops in front of Phil's door, and tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. "I had the best time." His eyes flicker down to Phil's lips then back to his eyes.

"I should be thanking you." Phil smiles softly, ducking his head slightly. He's debating if the second date is too soon for a kiss. Jeff kissed him on the first, the last alpha he'd dated had kissed him half-way through the first date but to be fair the movie they'd been watching had been boring.

"So, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Dean's fingers linger on the side of Phil's face, his eyes flicker once more to Phil's lips, clearly asking permission or at least testing the waters when it comes to kissing.

"The gym." Phil smiles slightly, and Dean's gaze drifts lower. His eyes linger on Phil's slightly soft stomach, and he looks dubious for a second.

"You look fine." He smiles slightly but sounds confused, and for a moment Phil's mildly stung, but then he remembers that Dean has no idea that Seth's learning how to fight, and no idea that Sundays are his major training day. He'd of course assume that Phil was going to the gym for his own benefit, in fact he possibly should be in all honesty. Dean's fingers trail down Phil's face, and tilt his chin up. "Can I kiss you good night?"

"Please." Phil barely finishes speaking before Dean's lips brush over his, soft and gentle, leaving him waving Dean goodnight with a silly smile on his face.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **lovergyul,** **takers dark lover, Rebellecherry, and ambroserollinsgirl** **.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2017/02/25_**


	15. Chapter 13

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Smut, Profanity._

* * *

It's not an anniversary, but it does feel important-ish at least. A month is the longest Phil's dated someone since Jeff. Which is an incredibly depressing thing to think about, so he'd been avoiding it until Dean brought up that Saturday would be one month since their second first date. Dean had declared it a landmark, and that they should do something special, and Phil had awkwardly agreed. One month is a long time he supposes at least. It doesn't feel all that long, but for him it probably is.

Dean had told him that he'd booked at table at some fancy restaurant, and that he'd come down to pick Phil up at six. So, all of Saturday so far, Phil's been fussing and panicking over looking good for this _big_ date.

"I don't see why a month is all that important, Papa." Seth's perched on the edge of the tub, a slight scowl on his face as he watches Phil curling the ends of his hair. Phil meets his eyes in the mirror, and flounders for anything worth saying. He's not sure he sees why a month is all that important either, but it is.

"It's important because it is, kiddo." Phil smiles at Seth's reflection, and gets a disgruntled huff for his efforts. "I don't know why you're still being like this, Seth. Dean's a nice alpha. If you'd just give him a chance, I'm sure you'd like him."

"I've never _met_ him. How can I give him a chance when he won't give me one, huh?" Seth comes over, and takes the curling tongs from Phil. "You're making a mess, Papa." He starts sorting Phil's hair, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Phil bites his tongue against the sharp comment that was bubbling in his mind. Seth's concerned for him, and Dean really hasn't done anything to dissuade Seth from his worries. It'll take time, that's all. Eventually Seth will come around.

"Are Xavier's parents gonna take you to the gym tomorrow?" Phil decides it's probably best to change the subject. Seth's staying at Xavier's tonight, not because Phil's expecting Dean to want to stay over at his place, but he is kind of hoping for it. A month dating with no sex feels like a long time to him, but that might be because his forays into dating have been two dates then a fuck. He's not very good at dating, and the look on Seth's face tells him everything he needs to know about what his son thinks is going to happen tonight.

"Yeah. I…I hope you have a nice time tonight, Papa." Seth finishes up with Phil's hair, and presses a kiss to his cheek. "I don't want this one to hurt you, and I'm…" Seth trails off with a sigh, and catches his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Hey." Phil turns around and pulls his son into a hug. "I'm grown up." He kisses Seth's forehead, and squeezes him tightly. He's not sure if he's trying to chastise or comfort Seth with that comment. It might be not aimed at Seth at all though, it might be that he's trying to convince himself that being a _grown-up_ counts for something.

"Being old doesn't mean you know what you're doing." Seth grumbles, pulling away from him, and levelling him with a considering look. "You look alright, I suppose."

"Alright? Brat." Phil scoffs, and playfully swipes at Seth's head. "I look amazing." Seth barks a laugh, and Phil chases him from the bathroom. Left alone, he considers his reflection. He looks alright. Seth was right, alright is about the best way to describe him these days. He's getting old far too fast, the bags and dark rings under his eyes are getting harder and harder for foundation and highlighter to hide. The lines of his forehead, his crow's feet, the few greys he can see in his hair, he's getting old. "Alright is good enough." He tells his reflection sternly, and leaves the bathroom to finish off his make-up. Seth's sat on Phil's bed, his eyes narrowed slightly. "What?" Phil asks as he settles in front of the mirror.

"Nothing." Seth mumbles, and scoots down the bed to sit beside Phil. His head rests on Phil's shoulder, his eyes meeting Phil's in the mirror. "I love you, Papa."

"You too, kiddo." Phil wraps his arm around Seth's shoulder and pulls him closer. "You wanna tell me what's bothering you?" Seth shakes his head, a wry smile twisting his lips. Phil sighs, and stares at Seth's reflection. "Is it Dean?" Seth meets his eyes in the mirror. "He is a decent alpha." Seth smiles slightly, and closes his eyes as he rests his head against Phil's shoulder.

"I worry. You're my only papa. I'm probably being selfish. I want you safe more than I want you happy." Seth's cheeks are stained red, and he presses his face against Phil's shoulder. "Promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise." Phil presses a kiss to Seth's hair, and rests his cheek against Seth's head. "I don't mean to make you worry, kiddo. I can stop seeing him if it'd make things easier for you." It's not what Phil wants, but if him seeing Dean is making Seth this uncomfortable then he'll cut ties with Dean. He might like Dean, but he loves his son and no alpha will come between them. Seth pulls away with a laugh and shakes his head.

"You promise me you'll be safe?" Phil nods in response to Seth's question, and his son nods once, a determined look in his eyes. "I'll hold you to that, but if he ever scares you again, I'll choke him out."

"Seth!" Phil laughs at his son, and Seth puffs up, half annoyed and half proud. He really is learning quickly. Both Charlotte and Brock are impressed by how he's coming along with his training. "No threatening people."

"I bet Brock's threatened him too." Seth cackles, and settles in the middle of the bed, his legs crossed under him.

"Duh, of course he has." Phil turns to the mirror, and considers his eyeshadow choices. He doesn't want something too flashy, but he should probably have a little colour in his look. He settles on a muted gold, and starts to work.

"Brock's cool." Seth's comment is offhand, but it has Phil look in the mirror at his son. Seth's never really expressed any interest in any alpha, and Phil really doesn't want his son's first crush to be his friend. "Charlie says he's single. He's Uncle Colt's type, right?" There's a wheedling tone creeping into Seth's voice, and a flood of relief comes over Phil. He doesn't need to worry about Seth having a crush so much as him trying his hand at match-making.

"I guess." The slight murmur of discontent that sprung up inside Phil at Seth's question is stamped down quickly. Brock isn't his type, and he really is more of Colt's, it's just that Phil's convinced that they'd be a terrible match. Colt for all his cheer, kindness and good nature is also prone to sullen brooding and vicious arguments when the mood takes him. Colt's one of those people who argue in a soft voice, and they're by far the most dangerous sort of people. Brock wouldn't deal with Colt well, at least Phil doesn't think he would. Brock's too straightforward in that respect. He seems like the sort of alpha that would rather just have the argument at full volume then kiss and make up.

"You think we should fix them up too?" Seth's beaming at him, and Phil shrugs rather than answer. He doesn't think that at all, but rambling about how to get the two of them together keeps Seth busy until Xavier and Big E come to collect him.

Dean shows up about twenty minutes after Seth leaves, with his gorgeous smile on his face.

"You look lovely." Dean tucks a curl behind Phil's ear, and pecks him lightly on the lips. "I don't think I've seen you this dressed up before. I know I said nice, I wasn't expecting this nice." Dean's gaze lingers on the curves of Phil's hips and waist for a second, and his smile takes a sleazy turn. "Wanna skip dinner?" He winks, and Phil shakes his head.

"I already skipped lunch getting ready." Dean takes his hand lightly, and leads the way to the elevator.

"I'll not have you starving, babe. We eat, then maybe…" Dean trails off with a wink.

"Hmm… _maybe_." Phil can feel his cheeks heat up, but he does returns Dean's wink with as much confidence as he can.

The restaurant is nice, and Phil has no idea if Dean can afford it, but that doesn't seem to matter. The waiting staff don't look at him like he's out of place, which he'd been expecting, but it seems Dean had come dressed to counter any snide looks Phil might have gotten. Under his expensive looking jacket there's a tacky tuxedo t-shirt, that had made Phil laugh when he'd seen it. Dean had puffed his chest up and said he'd worn his best clothes. The waitress had looked slightly bewildered, and shot Phil a concerned look. The unspoken language of looks that omegas have is something Phil loves as much as he hates. It's good to know that when push comes to shove that there'll be another omega standing by, quietly waiting to step in and help. It's an unwritten expectation that all omegas have.

"So, I hear your friend has a title defence coming up." Dean's poking at his food, carefully watching Phil from under his lashes. He seems to be searching for something, but Phil has no idea what.

"Yeah." Phil mutters, he's not been comfortable talking about Brock with Dean. Dean doesn't like Brock. He's made that clear on the few occasions he's brought the huge alpha up, so Phil's avoided the topic. Brock had mentioned that he was heading to another fight camp in a few weeks, but that's all he'd said about the matter. His friendship with Brock hasn't changed much. The big alpha remains as nice as he ever has been, and Phil remains grateful for his easy friendship.

"In New York." Dean sets his fork down, and reaches over the table for Phil's hand. He squeezes it lightly, still searching Phil's expression.

"Is it? He didn't say." Phil laughs softly, flexing his fingers a little. It's a sweet gesture, but Dean's grip is a shade too tight. "We don't talk about his work all that much." Phil smiles slightly, flexing his fingers once more. Dean glances down at their hands, his eyes widening as his fingers relax. He shakes his head, and runs his other hand through his hair. Dean looks briefly annoyed with himself, and his thumb moves over the back of Phil's knuckles.

"I'm gonna be in New York at the same time is what I'm trying to get at. I'm guesting on a podcast out there, and speaking for a con." Dean withdraws his hand from Phil's. His lips quirk in a smile. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to come up with me. Maybe we could catch your friend's fight." Phil nods awkwardly, and glances away.

"I'll have to talk to Seth, but tentatively yes." Phil meets Dean's eyes once more, and Dean flashes him a brilliant smile.

"Great! I'll look at hotels. Seth's old enough to get his own room, right?" Phil hesitates, and shrugs. Seth's at that awkward age between adult and child, the sooner he hits eighteen the better. He won't be an adult then, at least not to Phil, but legally he will be. Phil's certain that when Seth's forty to Phil he'll still be his baby.

"I guess…to be honest we've never really gone anywhere to need to stay in a hotel." Phil sets his fork down, and instead picks up his glass of water, swirling it around, considering if he should spill something so personal to Dean or not. "We've stayed in cheap, _cheap_ motels between apartments over the years, but vacations aren't a thing I've ever had the money to take him on. He went to camp once, and hated every day." Phil laughs softly, and meets Dean's eyes. "What I'm saying is, it'd be nice to go, but I can't afford to take time off work, or afford it in general." Dean nods thoughtfully, but says nothing.

"I could pay for your flights." He offers, and Phil shakes his head. "I'm not as poor as I make out, you know. I'm not Brock Lesnar, but I do okay." Dean smiles at him, and Phil sighs.

"I…lemme think about it, okay?" Phil reaches over the table and lightly rests his hand on Dean's.

"If he offered to pay, you'd take it, wouldn't you?" There's a snarl in Dean's tone that has Phil flinching back from him. Dean seems to realise this, and looks at him apologetically. "Sorry, that was…bitter, cruel maybe. It wasn't what I meant to say." Phil casts his gaze around the dining room, and spots the waitress, for a second he considers getting her attention and making his excuses. Sometimes Dean reminds him of Jeff in all the worst ways, but Jeff would never apologise so promptly, so there's that one difference at least.

"It's what you did say though." Phil mutters softly, and Dean downs his wine, then abruptly changes the subject.

Dean's a little tipsy, and a lot handsy. His hands keep skimming down Phil's sides, and squeezing his ass as they kiss in the elevator. When it dings at Phil's floor, he grins expectantly and leads the way to Phil's front door. Phil pauses at the door, uncertain if he should invite Dean in or not. He wants to, but it might make him seem too desperate.

"Hey." Dean tilts his chin up, and presses a far softer, far gentler kiss to his lips. "Can I come in?" Wordlessly Phil smiles and slides his key into the lock, holding the door open for Dean. The alpha follows him inside, and as soon as the door is closed he presses Phil back against it, kissing him again. His fingers make quick work of Phil's coat, letting it fall to the floor as he starts lapping at Phil's throat.

"Uh…Do you…Can I…" Phil fumbles for words, his head tilting back, baring his throat to Dean's lips. He's torn between being a good host, and the scent of arousal permeating the air between them. Dean pulls back with a smirk. His hand curves around Phil's cheek, his fingers creeping into Phil's hair. He leans forward and presses his forehead to Phil's.

"I want you. I've wanted you for a long time, and I'd like to have you tonight." Dean speaks quietly, his voice nothing more than gossamer whisper in Phil's ears, creeping through the fug of arousal that's filled him.

"C'mon." Phil slips from between Dean and the door. He takes Dean's hand and leads him towards his bedroom. He hesitates for a second in the bedroom, uncertain if he should turn the lights on or not. He's not entirely comfortable with the idea of being entirely under Dean's scrutiny. He's not as young as he was, and his skin is littered with the shimmering lightning bolts left behind by his pregnancy. But it's not something Phil has to consider for too long. Dean once more starts mouthing at his neck, pressing him against the wall just inside his bedroom. His hands slip under Phil's clothes, skimming over as much of his skin as they can. Tentatively, Phil reaches out, and makes a start on Dean's clothes, slipping his sports coat from his shoulders, and then sliding up under the t-shirt he was wearing underneath. Dean pulls away from him, and yanks his shirt off, then he returns to nipping at Phil's throat.

"You're gonna need to take this off." Dean murmurs between kisses, his hands roaming under Phil's clothes as best they can.

"You're going to have to let me." Phil almost giggles as Dean tickles his ribs.

"Yeah, good point." Dean steps away, and lets Phil remove his shirt. "You're a pretty little thing, babe." Dean strokes down Phil's chest, a smile Phil can barely make out in the darkness on his lips. "Wanna take this to the bed? Maybe lose the pants too?" A giggle escapes Phil at that, and he shucks kicks his shoes off. He wanders over to the cabinet beside his bed, and hesitates. It might be presumptuous to present Dean with a condom, but he's certain that's where this is heading. Dean plasters himself to Phil's back, his fingers undoing the fastenings to Phil's pants, his hand slips into his underwear.

"So, I think I know where this is going." Phil rests his head back against Dean's shoulder. "Do you have protection?"

"I do, but I figured that's why you were over by the drawers." Dean starts placing little kisses to Phil's shoulders, the hand in his underwear working lower, seeking the entrance to his vagina. A single finger teases entering him, and Phil slides his pants down, shimmying out of them. Dean makes a soft noise, and pulls his hand from Phil's panties, sliding them down his hips too. "Turn around, lemme look at you." Without thinking Phil turns to face Dean, his eyes running the length of Dean's naked body. His cock is half-hard, the knot yet fully swollen. "Like what you see, baby?" Dean takes his cock in hand, stroking it slowly.

"You're big." Phil can feel his cheeks heating up. Dean tucks a curl behind Phil's ear, a sexy, little smirk on his lips.

"Not too big." He winks. His hand strokes Phil's cocklet hard, then slides down its underside to his entrance. "Based on how wet you are, definitely not too big."

" _Dean_." Phil bows his head, and Dean laughs softly.

"I'm not complaining." He steps closer, crowding Phil back towards the bed, gently forcing him to lie down. "The wetter you are, the more you want me, and I was worried you wouldn't want me as much as I want you."

"Condoms are in the second drawer." Phil squirms beneath Dean, gasping as finger penetrates him. Dean moves it slowly, thrusting in and out of his pussy. Phil gropes for Dean's cock, and wraps his hand around it, stroking it firmly, feeling it harden in his hand.

"That's it, baby." Dean's voice is damp and heavy in Phil's ear. "Your little hand feels so good, I bet your little mouth will feel better, and," another finger slides into Phil's pussy, "this'll feel even better."

"Lemme have a taste then." Phil moans softly as another finger tries to worm its way into him. Dean's fingers had looked so slender, but even two feel substantial. Dean backs off, and sits on the edge of the bed, his legs spread, waiting for Phil to put his mouth on his cock. Before taking Dean's cock in his mouth, Phil grabs a condom from the drawer. He kneels on the floor looking up at Dean for a second, then wraps his lips around the head of Dean's cock. Dean's eyes narrow to slits, his hands tangling in Phil's hair. There's always a strange surge of power that fills Phil when he takes an alpha's cock in his mouth. He might be on his knees, he might look weak, but in that moment, he holds an alpha's entire world between his teeth. He suckles on Dean's cock for a little while, then pulls back, licking a stripe down the underside, and teases his knot for a moment, before lapping at his balls. Dean's fingers flex in his hair, and Phil pulls away completely. "What do you like?" Dean looks at him in confusion.

"Uh…whatever you want will be fine." He looks slightly awkward, and Phil supposes that no one's ever asked before. He blows softly at the shimmering wet stripe he'd left on Dean's cock then takes him as deeply as he can. His head bobs, and Dean groans with pleasure. "That's good. Fuck, that's good." Dean's flopped back against Phil's bed, and Phil can feel a smirk stretching his lips. His tongue swirls around the head of Dean's cock for a second, then he bobs down once more, another deep, guttural groan from Dean makes Phil's pussy twitch in anticipation. After a few minutes of this treatment, Dean takes his hands from Phil's hair, and sits up reluctantly. He guides Phil from his cock, and pulls him up into a kiss. He fumbles for the condom, and Phil takes it from him easily.

"I do good, huh?" Phil smirks as he rolls the latex down Dean's cock and places a kiss to the covered head.

"Too good. Wanna be in you." Dean pulls him into a harsh kiss, and shifts them so that Phil's on his back on the bed. Dean settles between Phil's thighs, his eyes riveted to Phil's hard cocklet and glistening vagina. Dean leans down, and sucks Phil's cock for a second, then his tongue drives into Phil's pussy. Without thought Phil tangles his fingers in Dean's hair, his legs parting even more, his hips bucking into Dean's face.

"Yes." He moans, his breathing speeding up as Dean works him more. "In me. Want your cock in me." Phil's eyes have fallen closed, his mind lost in a daze of desire and need. Dean's soft chuckle comes to him distantly, overridden by the feeling of his cock demanding entrance to Phil's body. Dean thrusts into him firmly, his cock pushing as deep as it can into him. Phil's hands slide down Dean's back, clutching, pulling him desperately closer. It's been so long, too long, since Phil felt an alpha inside him. He wants nothing more than all of Dean, he wants Dean's knot, but he knows they'll work up to it, for now he has the feeling of an alpha pinning him to his mattress and the thickness of a cock inside him. Dean fucks him fast and hard, burying as much of his cock into Phil with each thrust as he can. His kisses alternate between Phil's lips and his neck. Dean's hands are under Phil's shoulders, holding him as close as Dean can manage.

"Wanna change position." Dean pulls out and away. Phil groans in desperate disappointment. The hazy feeling of a good fuck leaving him wanting nothing but the knot he feels he's owed. Dean chuckles softly, and rolls Phil to his side. "Wanna fuck you like this. There's so much I wanna do to you, but for now this'll do, little omega." Dean lies behind him. Dean's hand skims down Phil's thigh, then slips under it, raising it even more. His cock lines up with Phil's pussy, then thrusts into him fully. "Fuck, baby. You're so tight." Dean's voice is thick, damp, and heavy in Phil's ear. His thrust deep, and powerful. He can't force anything from between his lips but weak mewls. It's been so long since he was fucked like this. So fully, so completely, so perfectly. The first press of Dean's knot has him gasping. "Shhh…you can take it, baby." Dean murmurs. "That's it." His knot was forced maybe a third of the way into Phil on that thrust then withdrawn sharply, making him call out, a wordless cry halfway between pleasure and pain. "I'm gonna come baby." Dean lips pause in moving over Phil's neck to let him pant in his ear once more. This thrust buries Dean's knot fully into him, and Phil's hand speeds up on his own little cock. His orgasm makes his vagina clamp down around Dean's knot, milking his cock for all its worth, but denied Dean's cum by the condom. An orgasm with a real knot inside him, always feels different to Phil. It feels longer, more intense, better somehow. Maybe it's the warmth of an alpha inside him, maybe it's the real pheromones that seeps from an alpha's pores, maybe it's that it's Dean. He doesn't know, and doesn't care, he's lost to the pleasure coursing through him. Dean pulls out too soon. Most alphas do, but Phil had hoped that Dean wouldn't be one of those. The withdrawal of his knot makes Phil grunt in pain slightly, and Dean strokes his shoulder lightly as he gets off the bed. "Gonna piss." Phil stays lying on his side, staring at the wall. He's not sure what he'd expected from having sex with Dean, and he's not sure if he's disappointed or not. It was good, ridiculously good, but there's a gnawing in the pit of Phil's stomach. His arms absently wrap around the spare pillow in his bed, pulling it close to his chest. He can hear Dean leaving the bathroom, and hesitating at the door. He has two options. One say nothing, and two invite Dean to stay the night. He'd like Dean to stay the night. He's not been held all night in years, and he wants Dean's arms around his waist, and Dean's chest pressed against his back.

"Are you going?" The question comes out much softer and more vulnerable than Phil had wanted it to, but there's nothing he can do about that. If he tries to mitigate the tone now, he'll look even more vulnerable, so he says nothing. The bed dips behind him, and Dean presses a kiss to his shoulder.

"I got work in the morning." Phil waits to feel Dean's warm body pressing closer to his own, but instead Dean turns away from him, and before long the only sound in the room is that of Dean's soft snores.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **ambroserollinsgirl,** **takers dark lover, agd88, and Rebellecherry,** **.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2017/03/11_**


	16. Interlude: 03

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk._

* * *

It's a little thing, Brock knows that, but it seems far bigger. It shouldn't, or maybe it should. Phil's his friend, his dear, _dear_ friend, and so he worries. He shouldn't but he does, and he is. They've spoken at great length about Phil's ex. Awkward conversations where Phil'll sometimes stop mid-sentence to shakes himself from his memories, and all Brock'll want to do is reach out and make it better somehow. He can't, but there's very little Brock wants to do more than make Phil's memories better.

He can't stand to see the pained look that'll sometimes fill Phil's eyes. The weight of his past is heavy, far too heavy, and Brock tries to lighten the burden as much as he can. He's no idea if talking to him about things helps, but he always makes sure that when he drops Phil off at home, he's smiling.

Phil has the prettiest smile. The kind of smile that makes you want to smile too. The kind of smile that is bright but not blinding, sweet but not over-powering, gentle but not meek. It's a smile that Brock looks forward to more than he should, but there's a lot with Phil he feels more than he should. They're friends, decidedly, determinedly friends. That's for some very good reasons. Brock isn't ready to settle down. His work is too involved, and more importantly he's not Phil's type. He'd known that from almost the moment he'd truly met Phil. There's something in the way Phil carries himself that says he wants someone to strive against, that he likes a challenge and wouldn't easily accept a mate who'd concede. It's not a bad thing. It reminds him of his Ma. She was a strong omega who liked to assert herself. She and his Da would get into fierce arguments, all soothed by his Pa, who was more gentle, or more manipulative. Brock's never been quite sure on that.

All of these thoughts are mere distractions though. The real root of the problem is small, and not really a problem. It's a little thing after all. When he'd first met Phil, he'd looked tired and pale, under his eyes were dark smudges, and his hair was bound in a tight braid. His appearance didn't change much over the first few weeks. The only time Brock saw him made-up was at his fight, and whilst he'll not deny that Phil was breath-taking, Brock almost prefers Phil without make-up on. It's silly, but to Brock, it reflects Phil for who he is. He's nothing to hide, has no reason for distractions. So, the first-time Phil comes into to clean Paul's offices with make-up on Brock's surprised. He'd not mentioned it, but it had struck him as odd.

Phil had been dating Dean for about a week when he'd showed up to clean with make-up on, and now a month later their first date, Phil's make-up is thickened. He looks almost as made-up as he did at Brock's fight. It's a little thing. It might be that Phil wants to look nice for Dean. It might be that now that he's in a relationship, he's happy enough to want to look prettier. It might be a thousand innocuous reasons, but Brock worries. Last night had been Phil and Dean's one month _anniversary_. Phil hadn't seemed overly excited on Friday about it, but Brock's learned that Phil tends to hide his excitement because of his past. His ex left him with the belief that it's best for Phil to not have too many or too visible emotions. Because of his papa's date last night, Seth had stayed at his friend's place, and somehow Brock was utterly unsurprised to see Seth come bounding into the gym with a small, cute black boy.

"Hey Brock! This is Xavier. I've told you about him, right?" Seth grins at him enthusiastically. Brock nods, and shakes Xavier's hand.

"All about him. How are you both? You gonna be training with Seth too, Xavier." Brock forces a bright smile to his face, and ignores the slight disappointment that there's no sign of Phil. He's a shade jealous. He's mature enough to admit that, but he knows that jealousy is horribly misplaced. He and Phil aren't going to be a thing, and Phil deserves happiness. Xavier laughs, and shakes his head.

"No, sir. I'm gonna hit the treadmill, and then have a watch." Xavier pats Seth's shoulder, and a very slight blush creeps over Seth's cheeks.

"I'll try my best to not be disappointing." Seth mumbles, then turns back to Brock. "You hear how Papa's date went?"

"Nope. I'm sure he'll spill when he has time. Now get a move on. Charlie's waiting for you. C'mon Xavier, I'll show you where the treadmills are." Brock ushers them into the workout room, keeping his mind from conjuring up ideas on how Phil's date went.

About twenty minutes later, Brock's jogging on a treadmill by Xavier, listening to the premise of a comic book Xavier's planning on writing. It sounds like a fun little tale, but it can't stop Brock from noticing Phil as soon as he enters the gym. He meets Brock's eyes and jerks his chin in the direction of the upstairs juice bar.

By the time Brock makes it upstairs, Phil's already taken his preferred seat, looking down at Seth training with Charlotte, his lips pursed around his straw, sipping slowly. He looks annoyed, and oddly vulnerable. Brock's alpha instincts are demanding he take action, that he protect the omega in front of him, but instead he takes a deep breath, and forces a grin to his face.

"What's up, Boss?" Brock takes a seat, and picks up the drink Phil had bought for him. " _Yeuch_. Protein shake?" He knows he should be drinking it again, but he hates the gloopy blandness of it, and would rather the sweet, fruity drink Phil's just set on the table.

"You've got a fight camp coming up, Mister. You drink your gross gloop, and enjoy it." A cheeky smirk spreads over Phil's lips as Brock grumbles vaguely and starts sipping at his drink gingerly. "So, I'm being pissy, and I know it, but _still_."

"Still?" Brock sets his drink down, and swipes a sip from Phil's. A bold move, but Phil inspires all manner of silly, childish, bold things in Brock. Phil does little more than raise his eyebrow, and shake his head slightly.

"I'm gonna need to the full story before I can even think of helping, Boss." It's a silly nickname, and Brock can't really explain why it's stuck, but he likes the little look of proud amusement that flashes in Phil's eyes when Brock calls him _Boss_. Brock thinks it appeals to that part of Phil that wants to be in charge, a part of him that's been thwarted so much throughout his life. "Did Seth tell you I'd a fight coming up?" Phil shakes his head, and takes his drink up, grinning at Brock as he pointedly sucks a great deal of it up the straw. Brock shakes his head, and takes a brave gulp of his protein shake. His fight coach will be pleased, even if Brock isn't.

"Dean." Phil sets his drink down, toes his slip-on shoes off, and rests his heels on the edge of the chair, his knees up under his chin. It's a defensive posture, and once more Brock's instincts are demanding that he take some action to make Phil feel better. His instincts never seem to notice that he and Phi aren't together, that they won't be together, instead they seem convinced that Phil is Brock's to protect, and that no other alpha should ever cause, have caused, or considering causing Phil pain.

"That's maybe a chapter heading. I'm gonna need you to tell the rest of this story." Brock smiles, forcing more of his shake down. Phil sighs, and rests his forehead against his knees.

"He's not a cuddler." Phil mumbles. "It's not a big thing, but…" Phil sighs sullenly, and reaches out for his drink once more. He starts fiddling with the straw, moving it up and down absently. "He…don't get me wrong, Dean's great, but sometimes I think he's too much like Jeff, you know?" Brock nods absently, uncertain what to say in that moment. He could say something scathing, he could say something supportive, or he could stay silent, and let Phil talk himself to where he needs to be. Letting an omega talk themselves to where they need to be is one of the few things his Da taught him. His Da had said that omegas know what they need to do, but they're too accommodating by half. The best thing an alpha can do for them is to sit quietly, and let them sort things out. According to his Da, in a good relationship alphas take the action, but it's the omegas that plan it. Brock can't really comment on that advice, his last relationship was in high school, and he broke it off when he realised that the omega he was seeing had no ambitions beyond bonding and mating. Brock had always wanted to get away from the little town he grew-up in. The big city had allured him, and now that he's there most of the time, he misses the countryside. "It's not in big ways, not really, but sometimes he'll look at me, or say something and in my gut, I'll know I've heard it before."

"Are you scared of him?" It's a quiet question, but as far as Brock is concerned it's the only question worth asking. How Phil answers determines everything. If there's a hint of yes in what Phil says, Brock will watch like a hawk. He won't let fear engulf Phil again, he knows too much about Phil's past to let even a hint of it come for him once more. Phil offers him, a strange, unreadable look. It's a look that makes Brock worry about what his own face is doing. He thinks it's probably wearing a fight face, but Phil seems to be immune to those. There's a substantial part of Brock that delights in not being able to intimidate Phil, he doesn't enjoy beating himself up, and if he scared Phil he would have to.

"We talked about you." Phil changed the subject. He didn't say yes, but he didn't say no, and once more Brock's instincts are roaring at him. Phil clearly doesn't feel completely safe, and Brock's alpha instincts are demanding that he provides Phil with the safety he deserves.

"Only nice things, I hope." Brock ignores his instincts, because for Phil that's easy. That one night, long ago now, when Phil had literally been throwing himself at Brock had been at once the easiest and most difficult moment of Brock's life. He'd wanted to knot Phil, he'd wanted it so badly he could taste it, but Phil didn't want him. His body wanted a knot, any knot, but Phil isn't attracted to Brock. It's almost depressing how easily Brock had accepted that. Phil's scent in his presence isn't tinged with arousal. His body isn't calling out to Brock's in the least. Although, based on how Phil's described his scent, Brock's body doesn't call out to Phil. He's never been told he smells like outside before. Most of the omegas he's fucked have told him he smells like fire, and danger. He's always liked how omegas describe scents as abstract feelings. Alphas are so literal in their descriptions, and omegas are so vivid and imaginative in theirs.

"Work related things." Phil's staring down at the gym, sipping absently on his drink. His annoyance had drained away, and Brock hopes it's been replaced with something better, but he really does just look drained.

"Did he hurt you?" The question was blurted out, and it clearly catches Phil off guard. He looks resigned as he nods slightly.

"A little. You alphas never let your knot shrink properly, you know." Phil laughs quietly, and shifts in his chair. "It's not the sex that's the problem. It was _really_ good, it's the after. Even Jeff cuddled me, at first at least, but he just turned his back. He's probably not a cuddler, or his upbringing or something, but…I'm being silly, and selfish, and-"

"You should talk to him about it, Boss. He's not going to know you want cuddles if you don't tell him." Phil's little admission of Dean hurting him, even in a small way, is something Brock is working hard to forget. There's a list of minor things in his head, minor things that Dean's done that prove he's no good for Phil and that justify the beating Brock wants to give him.

"I guess, but I'll sound stupid." Phil sucks the last of his drink up, and chuckles softly. "I'm whining like I was still a teenager to my friend, I don't need to be doing it to my mate too."

"He's the person you should be whining to, Boss." Brock takes the empty cup from Phil, and sets it on the table, leaving him gnawing on the straw. "He can't be the alpha you want him to be, if you don't tell him how."

"You're not supposed to the one telling me this stuff, you know that right?" Phil laughs, and tosses the lightly chewed straw into the cup.

"Who is? Colt? Because we both know he would. He'd tell you all this and a whole lot more besides." Brock reluctantly finishes his shake, and grins over at Phil. "He's known you longer, and would cut straight to the heart of the matter." Phil winces at that, and again Brock's instincts demand that Brock take action. "He'd ask why you'd taken to wearing make-up for a start." A manipulative question, but Brock is his Pa's child, a little of the now passed omega rubbed off on him over the years.

"I want to look nice for him…it's like with Jeff. I out kicked my coverage with him, and I've done the same with Dean, so I do what I can to be enough for them. Stupid, isn't it?" Phil shakes his head and rubs a hand over his face. "I don't wear make-up when I'm coming to see you though." He laughs softly, and Brock nods absently. He's glad of that for reasons that he's not going to share with Phil. "He told me I looked good made-up though, and now that I'm back in my routine it doesn't take long. Sometimes though it reminds me of when I was younger."

"You need to talk to him about things like this, Phil." Brock carefully touches Phil's shoulder, and offers him a small smile. Phil shakes his head and grins brightly.

"I will." He's lying. Brock can't really tell how he knows that, but he knows Phil's lying to him in that moment. "Now, like I was saying. You've a fight in New York coming up."

"I do. What about it?" Brock wonders if now would be a good time to mention the two tickets he has beside Paul in the front row for Phil and Seth. His fight coach had demanded that the omega who gave Brock such good luck in the last title defence be there for this one, and Brock hadn't argued. The only thing he remembers about that fight was Phil smiling at him, and his demand that Brock win. He'd won that fight solely to see Phil smile. He's sure his opponent had taunted him, but what he'd said Brock has no idea, because in the cage all he'd seen is Phil.

"Is it sold out?" Phil looks incredibly awkward, and Brock shakes his head. He's honestly no idea if it is or isn't, but he knows there's a seat for Phil if he wants it.

"Even if it is, you've a seat, Boss. My fight coach wants you there, so, you and Seth have a seat by Paul.." Phil levels him with an awkward look, and Brock pulls his cell out of his pocket. He hands it to Phil with the messages between him and his coach visible. Phil's eyes flicker over the screen, then barks a laugh at the messages.

"He's very superstitious, isn't he? But I'll be there. Dean's talking at a conference out there, and wants Seth and me to come out with him, so we'll definitely be there to make sure you don't lose." Phil holds Brock's phone out to him, his pretty smile on his face, whatever was weighing down gone for now. Brock might not have helped Phil with his actual problem, but he's smiling, and for now Brock's instincts are appeased.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **iceprincess1987,** **ambroserollinsgirl, lovergyul, and** **takers dark lover.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2017/03/25_**


	17. Chapter 14

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

Brock is a good friend. He gives good advice. Advice that Phil should follow, but he knows that everything he said to Brock earlier won't be said to Dean. He doesn't want to burden Dean with his stupidity, although he seems to have no problem with letting Brock shoulder some of it. The huge alpha isn't his mate, and yet Phil seems to have no difficulty saddling Brock with his silly concerns. Of course, by that same token Brock seems more than willing to take some of the weight from Phil's shoulders, in fact Phil's almost convinced that Brock would be more upset if Phil didn't let him help. He's a good friend; dependable, kind, funny, sweet, generous. Brock is a good alpha, possibly the best alpha Phil's met, and yet he's with Dean. An alpha who for all his good looks and purported omega-ism, reminds Phil of Jeff. Not Jeff in the beginning, the Jeff who brought him flowers every morning and would sneak Phil out of his parents' house to watch the sun rise. No. Dean reminds him of the Jeff of the last few years of their bonding. The Jeff who seethed over everything, the Jeff who would hid glares with smiles in public, only to strike and abuse in private. Granted, for now, Dean's glares and heavy expressions are something Phil will only catch once in a while, but they're there, and they throw him off-kilter. He doesn't think Dean would hit him, he didn't think Jeff would either, but there's still a part of him that churns with the memories of Jeff in Dean's company.

Dean's walking down the street when Brock drops Phil and Seth off after what's become their traditional after training lunch. Phil spots him as soon as they turn onto the right street, and he must make a noise or his scent must change because Brock shoots him an odd look.

"You can meet Dean, I guess." Phil smiles slightly, and Brock nods vaguely. The odd look doesn't shift from his face.

"We can both meet him, Brock." Seth pipes up from the back of the car, and Phil hopes he hides the wince he can feel. He doesn't really want Brock knowing that Dean hasn't really met Seth yet. Keeping the two apart has been a careful balancing act for Phil. He's fairly certain that Dean's beginning to accept he's got a kid, but he's not sure Dean's ready to accept Seth as being a person quite yet.

"Hey babe." Dean strides up to Phil and pulls him into a kiss the moment Phil's on the street. Phil hopes he's not blushing, but he thinks he is. His cheeks feel hot, and the rest of him feels that way too. "Sorry I had to shoot off this morning. Tom was pissed I missed the record last night."

"S'okay." Phil ducks his head slightly, and Dean catches his chin, tilting his face up. It looks like he's going to say something, but Brock interrupts.

"Hi, I'm Brock. Phil's friend." Brock holds his hand out, expecting a shake, and Dean looks at it for a few seconds before taking a firm grip. To Phil it looks like a normal enough handshake, but he might be wrong. He's not entirely sure how to read awkward situations like this between alphas. The scent in the air is heavy with an odd mix of irritation and concern. The source of each scent is obvious to Phil, and surprisingly he's struck more by the concern that lingers in the air around Brock than the annoyance around Dean. His friend is a _very_ good friend. "So, I hear you'll be coming out to see my fight too."

"Wait! We're going to see your next title defence?" Seth cuts in. He sounds horribly excited, and is practically bouncing from foot to foot gleefully.

"Well," Brock pulls a pair of tickets from his jacket pocket, and hands them over to Seth. "I think you are now." A grin almost as big as Seth's is on Brock's face. The huge alpha turns to Phil, and Phil can feel an answering grin on his own face. He might not really enjoy watching MMA, but he did enjoy seeing his huge friend in his fight gear a lot more than he should have. "I'll get another ticket for you on Monday, Dean." Dean makes a noncommittal noise, and pulls Phil a little closer to his side. The irritation in the air is more potent, but that merely makes the concern coming from Brock stronger too, which Seth is clearly picking up on, because he's looking between the two alphas carefully, taking a subtle yet obvious step closer to Brock. "I should get going. I'll see you Monday night, Boss. Be good for your papa, Seth." Brock gently ruffles Seth's hair as he gets into his car, giving Dean little more than a curt nod, and getting nothing in return for it.

"I'm gonna go finish my homework, Papa." Seth says it deliberately, his gaze fixed on Phil. Phil nods slightly at him, and takes a step away from Dean. Dean's wearing a sour little scowl, still staring where Brock's car had been.

"I don't like him." Dean hisses, and Phil shrugs. He's not sure what Dean's expecting from him. He knows what Jeff would have been expecting, but Dean's not Jeff, and Phil isn't the omega he was back then. Most of the time at least. Sometimes he can feel the timid nervousness he'd felt when he was still with Jeff lingering on the edges of himself. He has the terrible feeling it'll get worse the more Dean reminds him of Jeff. Old patterns are easy to fall back into.

"I do." Phil says softly, and Dean turns to him sharply. "He's my friend, not yours." Phil shrugs, and heads for the front door of their building.

"I don't like him." Dean repeats himself more firmly. A horrible memory of a different pair of alphas comes to Phil. A memory of long ago, a memory that ends with bruises and apologies several days later.

"You don't need to, he's not your friend." Phil opens the front door, and has to fight the urge to run to the elevators. He's getting tired of Dean dragging unpleasant memories to the surface.

"Aren't your friends mine?" Dean stands beside him in front of the elevator, and ushers him into it once it arrives. He presses the button for his floor, and positions himself between Phil and the keypad. "Shouldn't we all get along?"

"You've not met my friends." Phil mutters. His heart has sped up, and he's sure that he must be oozing the scent of fear, but Dean doesn't seem to notice, or he's mistaking it for something else, or maybe it's all in Phil's imagination. It might be that his mind is concerned, but his body isn't worried in the least.

"I've met what's his name." Dean shakes his head, and pulls Phil closer. "C'mere, gimme a kiss." He presses a kiss to Phil's lips, and holds him in a tight hug, his chin on Phil's shoulder. "He's definitely after something, baby."

"I don't- "

"You're not going to see it, babe." Dean laughs, and Phil bites his tongue against what he'd been going to say. He's certain the only thing Brock wants from him is to be allowed to empty some trash cans, and what he was going to say was telling Dean to not call him _baby_. Jeff had used that as a nickname liberally, and Phil had hated even before it became what Jeff said while apologising. "But most alphas only think with one thing, and that's not their brains." Dean laughs, and shuffle walks them out of the elevator. "Come have a coffee with me. I wanna talk to you."

"What about?" Phil tries to slip from Dean's arms, but doesn't really manage it. Dean holds him fast, and guides him to his apartment.

"I wanna tell you about the conference. Tom gave me some more details, like speaker lists, and podcast sessions." Dean grins at him, and Phil nods slightly.

"It's only sceptical podcasts, right?" As soon as Dean's opened the door to his apartment, Phil takes the opportunity to slip from his arms, and cast his gaze around it. It's the same layout as his place, but unlike Phil's apartment it's sparse, but messy.

"Nah, there's a few of the atheist guys as well." Dean heads for the kitchen, waving a hand at his couch. Phil perches on the end of the sofa closest to the door, and keeps his eye on Dean in the kitchen. He's sticking on his coffee maker, and Phil without thought gets off the couch, and goes to watch him making the drinks.

"Like who?" Phil asks the question to give himself an excuse for being in the kitchen, and Dean shrugs.

"Whole bunch. Who do you listen to?" He pulls a pair of cups out of the cupboard, and sets them down in front of Phil.

"Well, me and Sethie both listen to GDM cast together." Phil laughs, hiding his mild paranoia over the coffee Dean's making with that mostly fake laugh. Although he and Seth genuinely do listen to that podcast together. He has an incurable crush on the voices of both hosts. The deep Texan drawl of Steve Austin, and the lighter northern voice of the Silver-fox Skeptic is something that more often than not makes Phil's panties a little damp. Despite that he and Seth both listen to the podcast, and watch the god damned movies that they review on it. It's a fun listen, one that is possibly not entirely suitable for a fifteen-year-old, but it does have both Phil and Seth in fits of laughter, so even if it is a little crude, it at least brings them closer together.

"They're doing the Saturday afternoon session." Dean grins, and pour Phil a cup of coffee. "They're good people." He smiles, and nudges Phil's coffee towards him. "You need to try and catch Graves too." Dean reaches over and cups Phil's cheek. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Phil nods slightly, but worry is creeping up on him. He's no idea why Dean would be asking that question.

"You're pale, and there's bags…" Dean trails off, and trails a finger under one of Phil's eyes carefully.

"I didn't put make-up on before heading to the gym." Phil glances away, and Dean laughs softly.

"The gym? You looking to firm up, babe? Do I need to worry?" Dean laughs. A contradiction of annoyance and shame comes over Phil. He probably should have been working out instead of sitting around chatting with Brock. Dean must have picked up on Phil's irritation because he looks mildly contrite, and leans over the counter to press a light kiss to Phil's cheek. "I don't mind you being soft. Omegas shouldn't be too hard." Dean slips around the counter, and trails his hands down Phil's back to squeeze his ass.

"I need to get going." Phil pulls away from Dean, and heads straight for the door. Dean chases after him, and catches his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to offend you." His roguish smile on his face, and Phil can feel the irritation in him evaporating. "I'm not too good at being in relationships, and… The things I want to say aren't right." Dean sighs, and runs a hand through his hair. "I want to put how I act on you, but I know it's me and not you. I want to say that you throw me for a loop, and override the parts of me that know how I should be treating you." Dean rubs a hand over his face, and lightly touches Phil's cheek. "I know I unsettle you sometimes…and I'm sorry I just turned over last night. I should have told you I don't cuddle." Phil nods stiffly, and Dean sighs sharply. "I'll see you later." He opens the door, and all but throws Phil out. The door doesn't quite slam behind him, but on the other side, Phil hears a loud thud. He's not certain what caused that noise, but he doesn't want to know. Instead he heads straight for the stairs, and tries to put the incident to the back of his mind.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **agd88, moiself, ambroserollinsgirl,** **Loverguyl, iceprincess1987, and takers dark lover,** **.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2017/04/08_**


	18. Chapter 15

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Smut, Profanity._

* * *

"You want an update on my bullshit or am I getting one on yours?" Colt looks stressed. Listening to him would probably be the best thing Phil could do, and yet he'd quite like to try and work out what exactly is going on in his current chaotic and messy existence. It's been around two weeks since he slept with Dean, and really not too much has changed. Dean's still far too much like Jeff for Phil to be entirely happy. Seth's dislike for him is still low-level but palpable, and Brock is still just Brock. Quiet, dependable, and Phil's not seen his big alpha friend in a week. If he's being honest with himself, that's what's playing on his mind the most. He missed having the huge alpha around to talk to each night. Without him ever expecting it, Brock's become a valuable part of Phil's every day routine. He seems to slot right into Phil's life, where Dean seems to stick out like a square peg being forced into a round hole.

"Spill. You look like there's a lot on your mind." Phil settles more comfortably on Colt's sofa, and smiles at his friend. Colt's been suspiciously quiet as of late, and intrigue has won out over Phil's desire to complain about his life.

"Cena asked me out a few days ago…it was alright." Colt takes a sip from his coffee. His tone and expression give nothing away about how he feels about the situation, but Phil knows he must look stunned because a flush creeps over Colt's cheeks, and he looks strangely guilty. "He's started going to your alpha's gym a few weeks ago, and apparently, your Garbage Man can't keep his mouth shut." At that Phil barks a laugh, and Colt scowls at him. "Don't laugh at me! This is…I don't know what it is, but it's something!" Colt squawks, his scowl deepening.

"It's Brock trying to hook you up. He's a good Garbage Man. I'll have to promote him. Maybe let him do the vacuuming too." There's more than a hint of pride in Phil's voice, and a very obvious smirk stretching his lips. "So, when and what was this date?"

"Last Thursday. He took me to see some movie then out to lunch."

"And I'm only hearing about it now? Rude! We're supposed to be friends. Spill." Phil toes his shoes off, and tucks his legs up, settling in for the long haul on this story. Colt shakes his head, and turns his gaze downwards.

"There really isn't much to say. He winds me up, but he's very charming, and very funny when he wants to be." Colt looks oddly like he's a child sat in the principal's office, like he's not entirely comfortable with telling this story.

"That's the full story? No goodnight kisses, not rumpy-pumpy? Nothing interesting? Was it at least a good movie?" He could try and make this easier on Colt, but Phil has the terrible feeling his friend wouldn't tell him anything more than what he's already said if he thought he'd get away with it. Colt is many things, but good at talking about himself isn't one of them.

"It was a decent movie." Colt fidgets, and Phil levels him with the look he gives Seth when he knows his son is lying to him. "Goodnight, well good afternoon kiss, no sex. We agreed that we weren't there yet. We're going on another date next Thursday."

"Wait, afternoon?"

"We went to a matinee, when the kids were in school. We're here to work, and look after the kids, not swan around on dates." Colt laughs, clearly rehashing a line he'd fired at Cena in a bid to put him off.

"I see Mr Cena found a way around that little fact though." Phil grins, and Colt sighs sharply.

"And thus, I return to the point that your Garbage Man is a pain in the ass." Colt drains his coffee, and grabs a cookie from the packet on the table.

"Brock's idea? He is a good Garbage Man." Phil laughs once more, and debates sending Brock a message to congratulate him on his cupid-ing. Colt shakes his head once more, and flops his head back against the couch.

"It's not going to work though, is it? And us working together will make it hard for the kids. They already come from broken homes, they don't need their carers not talking to each other too." Colt's staring at the ceiling, his eyebrows knit, and his lips turned down in a frown. "I don't want them being unhappy here. I work hard to make this a comfortable, safe place for them. I don't want anything messing it up for them. The kids come first."

"Colt…" Phil reaches out and touches his friend on the shoulder lightly. "You're both adults. If it doesn't go well, I'm sure you're capable to making the best of the situation."

"If there was no situation in the first place, there would be nothing to make the best of." Colt snaps.

"Then why did you agree to a date with him?" It's an unkind, but useful question, one that makes Colt's mouth snap shut, and his eyebrows knit.

"Because I wanted to go on a date with him." He laughs bitterly, and smiles over at Phil. "If you're not going to take care of him, we need to get Brock hooked up with somebody." Something must have crossed over Phil's expression because a sly smirk emerges from Colt's sullen expression. "I hit a nerve, Messer Brooks? Was that a hint of jealousy I saw on your face?"

"What? No! Jealousy over what?" Phil laughs, and tells himself that it sounds sincere. He knows it didn't. He'd be very happy for Brock to find love, but Brock himself said he doesn't go for his type. Even if both Colt and Phil tried to find Brock's one, they'd fail.

"You been eyeing your Garbage Man in a new light?" Colt looks beyond delighted to be moving off his own forays into romance and into Phil's.

"No. I'm with Dean. Why would you think I'd be interested in Brock? I already told you that he didn't even cross my mind during my heat. It was all Dean." The words definitely came out too fast and too garbled, and Phil wants a do-over on that statement but the look on Colt's face tells him that there's no chance of that.

"And now you're trying a relationship with Dean, and finding it lacking." Colt smirks lazily, and picks up his coffee cup, only to discover he'd finished off the contents some time ago.

"I didn't say that, Colt. It's just that Dean…Brock's a good friend is all." Phil knows that was an awkward statement, one that gave too much away, because Colt raises an eyebrow at him as he heads back to the kitchen to get more coffee. There shouldn't be anything to give away though. Brock is Phil's friend, and he's dating Dean, but Dean reminds him of Jeff. Phil gets to his feet and trails after Colt. "He reminds me so much of Jeff."

"Early days Jeff?" Colt levels him with a heavy gaze, that has Phil fidgeting awkwardly under it, and shaking his head. "Oh dear."

"It's not as bad as it was with Jeff though. Dean has more self-control." This isn't painting Dean in a good light. He doesn't mean for that, but Phil knows he's not singing Dean's praises like he should be. "He's a fine alpha."

"He's just not proving himself to the fine alpha you need." Colt smirks at him, and purs himself more coffee. "You want a top-up?"

"Go on." Phil sets his cup down by Colt's, and hops up to perch on the counter. "He's…I don't know. He's not what I hoped he be, but he is what I thought he'd be, if that makes sense?"

"Ah. The exact opposite of my problem." Colt laughs, and freezes at the sound of the front door. "Do I look okay?"

"You look fine." Phil turns to greet the little stampede of children that come flocking into the kitchen. Cena follows in after them.

"I promised our troops they'd be getting milk and oreos after a good swimming lesson, General." Cena calls out as he enters the kitchen, then he spots Phil, and offers him a broad grin. "Hey Phil! Long-time no see. How's things going with your new alpha?" Cena takes a mug from the cupboard and sets it down by the coffee pot. Colt fills his mug without a word, a mild blush on his cheeks.

"Which one did you hear about Dean from? Because I've been informed that we have a mutual acquaintance." Cena chuckles at Phil's comment, and takes a seat at the table.

"From General Colton over there, although Brock did mention it once he worked out I knew Scott." Cena's watching Colt pour out glasses of milk for their kids with a soft little smile on his face. "Do we have any of the birthday oreos left over?"

"Uh…maybe…try the cookie shelf, Sergeant." Colt sets the milk glasses down on the table, and considers the kids. "Shouldn't you all be washing hands before eating cookies?" The kids scamper off towards the bathroom quickly, jostling and joking with each other on their way. "Were they good?"

"Fine little soldiers." Cena takes a drink from his coffee, an almost goofy smile on his face as he watches Colt. "Cookies!" Cena gets to his feet, and heads for the pantry.

"I see you've acquired cute pet-names for each other after one date." Phil whispers to Colt. His friend flushes crimson, and Phil can't help the laugh the escapes him.

"All clean!" The oldest of Colt children returns, his still slightly damp hands held in the air, presenting their cleanliness. The younger kids follow along, their increasingly damp hands held up for examination.

"All clean, but there's no towel in the bathroom, or were you worried that we'd eat all the good cookies?" Cena sets a plate of cookies down on the table, and retakes his seat. "No more than two each." He moves the plate closer to the kids. "So, how are things going with this Dean fellow?"

"Alright." Phil smiles brightly, and wonders if the kids know about Colt and Cena's date. He'd like to ask Cena about it, but he doesn't want to make things awkward for them. "How long have you been going to Brock's gym?"

"A little while now. Seth mentioned it when he was over a while back. Good kid that son of yours." Phil feels a silly flood of pride fill him at that. He's proud of Seth, and is always made a little more proud when people praises him.

"Yeah. He's a good little omega." Phil smiles softly, and drinks from his coffee. "How are your little ones?"

"I got an A!" The oldest of the kids pipes up, a huge grin on his face. "Look! It's on the fridge!" Phil glances over at the fridge, to the paper pinned to the fridge.

"Good work." Neville puffs up at Phil's words, clearly pleased with Phil's praise. "I like the picture there too. Was that you, Noam?" The littlest of the kids nods enthusiastically.

"It's all of us!" He slips from his seat, and comes over to Phil, tugging on his hand to take him over to the fridge for a better look. "I drew you and Seth too, look!" He points at the picture, a beaming grin on his face.

"Very nice, kiddo!" Phil ruffles the little boy's hair. "I should shoot off. I've get home and back for leaving tomorrow." Phil makes his goodbyes, hugging Colt tight and wishing him luck with his next date.

 _Babe! Wanna come up for dinner? – Dean Ambrose_

Phil considers the message from Dean all the way back to his apartment. He's already packed for leaving tomorrow. Seth's having dinner with Xavier, and should be back around ten-ish. Phil has time to spend with Dean, and can't of any reason not to.

"Hiya." When Dean opens the door, Phil wraps his arms around Dean's neck, kissing him firmly. Dean seems surprised, but doesn't complain. His hands pulls Phil closer, and he kicks his door closed.

"You hungry?" Dean squeezes his ass. Phil isn't hungry, on his way over he decided he wants Dean. It's been a long time since that first time together. This time he's not staying the night, so he's not expecting cuddles. It seems Dean's taken a hint on what Phil wants. Dean pulls him tighter, kissing him fiercely. "Definitely hungry, huh?" Dean frames Phil's face with his hands. Phil turns and presses a kiss to one of Dean's hands.

"C'mon. Take me to bed and feed me." Phil starts trying to walk forward, and Dean lets him forcibly lead the way. Dean pulls from Phil, and tugs his shirt over his head. "Lie back." Phil pushes lightly on Dean's shoulders. Dean nods vaguely, and settles back on the pillows. Phil pulls his shirt over his head, and starts on his pants. Dean's pants come drifting past Phil. "I see you're hungry too." Phil winks, and crawls up between Dean's legs, pinning him down, pressing a kiss to Dean's lips. Dean bucks his hips up, and smiles lazily at Phil.

"You're in a wonderful mood, babe." Dean rests his hands on Phil's hips. "Wanna fuck you hard, babe." Dean whispers into Phil's ear. He pulls Phil down closer, and starts pressing sloppy kisses to Phi's neck.

"Go on then." Phil pulls away from him, and turns to lie his back. "Fuck me as hard as you can." Phil's no idea what manner of expression is on his face, but from the look on Dean's it's one he likes. Dean presses a finger into him, and pulls it out. He slips his glistening finger between his lips. Dean pulls away. He grabs a condom from a drawer in the nearby nightstand.

"You ready, babe?" Dean's rolling the condom down his cock, not looking at Phil.

"Hey." Phil calls out, and Dean looks up at him. There's a small part of Phil that feels vindicated by that. Being ignored by Dean had been annoying, it felt like a slight. If they're in bed together, then Dean's attention should be on him. "I'm ready." Phil spreads his legs a little more, and cants his hips up a little more. Dean settles over him, and drives into him as deeply as he can in one thrust. Dean presses a few sloppy kisses to Phil's neck. Dean's slobbery kisses aren't exactly something Phil likes, but it's not that bad. Jeff hadn't been all that wet, and Phil can't summon up a memory of anyone else he's slept with who did this. It's not a bad thing, but he knows that once they're done here he's gonna have a shower.

"You're tight, babe." Dean grunts into Phil's ear. Phil lets his nails press into Dean's shoulders. Dean thrusts once more, driving into Phil more. He lets his hands skim down Dean's back to pull Dean's hips closer, his head presses back against Dean's pillows as it draws Dean into him further. This encounter feels even more hurried than the last, but there's no real reason for it to. They've got plenty of time to indulge in each other, but that really doesn't seem like it's going to happen.

"More." Phil gasps quietly. Dean smirks down at him, and drives his hips down firmer. Phil's legs wrap around Dean's waist, pulling him as close as he can. He groans as Dean's knot presses against his entrance. "More." It's almost a growl that leaves Phil's lips. Hurried and hard. Phil can live with that being the way sex is with Dean. Hurried and hard is a good way for sex to be. Dean pushes firmer, and his knot penetrates Phil. He bucks his hips when Dean tries to pull out his knot. Dean looks down at him oddly, but concedes to Phil's desire to not lose Dean's knot. Dean presses a gentle kiss to Phil's lips. He buries his knot fully into Phil. His movements slow, more gentle rocks into Phil, his hand wraps around Phil's hard little cocklet, teasing and stroking it.

"I wanna watch you come, babe." Dean moans it softly. Phil nods vaguely, and focussing on Dean's touch on his cocklet. His orgasm comes over him. Phil rides on the crest of it until Dean's come, and roughly pulls his knot out of him. A few seconds pass, and then there's the sound of Dean lighting a cigarette, and Phil's phone chimes with a text message.

 _Hey! You want me to swing by and pick you guys up tomorrow? – Paul Heyman_

"Paul's offered us a ride to the airport." Phil sits up in Dean's bed, and starts collecting his clothes back up. Dean moulds himself to Phil's back, and presses a kiss to Phil's shoulders.

"That's nice of him." Dean's arms snake around Phil's waist, and he tries to tug him back down to the bed. "C'mon babe, Seth'll be fine for the night." Phil shakes his head, and starts getting dressed.

"Come down around eight tomorrow morning, okay?" Dean nods, and Phil leans down to press a kiss to Dean's cheek. "Sleep well." Dean nods slightly, but doesn't see Phil out.

"Why are you home, Papa? I figured you'd be staying with Dean." Seth looks surprised when comes back into their apartment. Phil wanders over to him, and pulls him into a hug.

"Because I love my son." Phil kisses his hair. He lets Seth go, and heads towards the bathroom. "Make me some tea, kiddo."

The next morning, Phil expects the knock on his door to be Dean, but it's Paul instead. The rotund alpha seems to be in a ridiculously good mood, and happily comes in for a cup of tea whilst they wait for Dean to show up. Once he does they head to the airport, and work their way through security.

Almost as soon as they get on the plane, Dean flags the airhostess over, and gets a couple of drinks. He downs them quickly, and then requests a blanket. He promptly falls asleep. The airhostess looks at Phil oddly. There's a look in her eye that makes Phil feel slightly uncomfortable. She leans over and offers Phil a blanket too.

"You okay, hun?" Her accent is thickly Minnesota, her smile soft and warm.

"I'm okay." Phil smiles awkwardly at her, and takes the blanket.

"You want me to keep him dry?" She nods at Dean as he lies dozing. Phil nods slightly. "No problem, hun." She stops by Seth, and nods towards Phil. A broad grin spreads over Seth's lips, and the sweet airhostess chuckles. Seth turns around in his seat, and smiles at Phil as he stands up and follows her. About three minutes later the airhostess returns. "I thought your little one might like to take a look at the cabin, and well there was a spare seat up in first class with Mr Heyman. So, you'll have peace if you wanna take a nap like his daddy."

"He's not Seth's father." Phil feels the need to correct her. He can't say why, but he needs this sweet omega to know that Seth isn't Dean's son. She nods slightly.

"I thought he looked too pretty." She chuckles quietly, and Phil finds himself joining in. "You're heading to New York to see Brock's fight? Mr Heyman usually gets first class seats for Brock's new squeezes…But I guess you're going up for a different reason seeing as you're back here."

"I'm going to see Brock, but I'm his friend, not a squeeze.." Phil answers without a thought for Dean's conference, somehow the reason of going to see Brock was more important. The hostess smiles at him, a smile that Phil's seen on Colt's face, a sly little smile. A sly smile that makes Phil feel uncomfortably comfortable.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **ajtorres,** **Loverguyl, and takers dark lover.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 ** _Next update - 2017/04/22_**


	19. Chapter 16

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Smut, Profanity._

* * *

Paul and Seth are already waiting with their luggage when Phil spots them. Standing with them is the nice airhostess. Phil glances over his shoulder looking for Dean, but can't spot him in the mass of people. He's somehow not overly surprised that he can't find Dean. It almost seems like a physical representation of their relationship. He and Dean aren't on the same page, they're not even in the same library, but does that really matter? He's not in this for the long-term, and Dean really doesn't seem like he is either. He shakes his head, and decides to head for Seth. He doesn't need to have lost both of the people he'd travelled with. The airhostess is laughing cheerfully at something Paul's said, and turns to Phil with a friendly smile on her face.

"I'm glad to have finally met the reason Brock changed Sunday lunch family calls to Sunday dinner ones." She reaches out, and pulls Phil into a light hug. "I'm Missy. Brock's alpha brother's bond-mate."

"Brock's little alpha brother is a pilot! Isn't that cool, Papa?" Seth seems horribly excited about that, and Phil has the feeling he's going to be told all about the cockpit before long.

"Very cool." Phil smiles awkwardly, his gaze still flickering over the dispersing crowd. He still can't see Dean anywhere.

"You looking for the alpha you were with?" The voice that asks that question is surprisingly like Brock's and has Phil spinning around only to be faced with a slightly smaller version of his huge friend. "I'm Dale, Brock's little brother, and your pilot this morning." Mini-Brock shakes Phil's hand, beaming at him. "I see you've met the mate, and I've met Seth. Super sweet boy, you must be proud. I'm so glad Brock's finally got a mate with his head screwed on right. You've been great for him."

"C'mon hun, you're making Phil uncomfortable. Let his hand go." Dale's wife taps her husband on the shoulder, still smiling at Phil. Phil hasn't wanted the floor to open up and swallow him up whole more since he was a child. Brock's brother is still beaming at him, talking about something Phil isn't really listening to, because he knows he's missed his chance to set Brock's brother straight on things. He and Brock are friends. Phil's not his mate in any way but in the way English people use the word. They're friends, nothing more.

It takes Dean ten more minutes to awkward small talk to show up with Tom in tow. His podcasting partner looks annoyed to see his normal job boss, and stalks off, leaving Dean to stand beside Phil looking like a fish out of water. Phil feels strangely embarrassed by Dean, like he wants to deny knowing him in front of Brock's family, but his sister-in-law knows Phil's with him, and Brock's brother picks up on it quickly enough. They make their excuses to leave shortly after meeting Dean. Paul leaves shortly after they're out of the other side of security. He hugs Phil tightly for a moment, and tells him that another set of suitable clothes similar to the ones he'd worn last time will make their way to him and Seth once he knows which hotel they're staying in. Phil promises to send the address to Paul once he has it. Dean's been very evasive about where they're going to stay, and Phil hadn't asked, but he hopes it's somewhere nice.

The hotel is busy when they arrive. Dean deals with the reception. Seth's looking around, nudging Phil when he spots some podcaster he recognises. He looks incredibly excited, and his excitement is rubbing off on Phil somewhat. He's spotted a few people he knows from podcasts he listens to with Seth.

"Your room is right beside ours, Seth." Dean hands Seth a key card, and wraps an arm around Phil's waist when he comes back over to them. "Tom's on the other side too." Phil nods absently, and turns his attention to Dean. He looks tired, slightly pale with dark smudges under his eyes. "Let's go." He leads the way to the elevators.

"Is there anything on tonight?" Phil's already decided that he's going to leave Dean to have a nap, and take Seth down to watch a talk, or a live record, something to make this trip worthwhile beyond going to see Brock's fight. This trip is an opportunity for Dean to get himself into Seth's good books, but it seems like Dean doesn't much care to play up to Seth's interests.

"Well, GDM are recording tomorrow morning. We definitely gotta go see that." Seth grins over at Phil, and Phil nods vaguely, ruffling Seth's hair.

"Obviously. Did you watch the movie?" Phil smiles at his son, and absently fixes his hair a little.

"Yup! Me and Xavi watched it the other day." Seth's half bouncing, a huge grin stretching his lips.

"Oh? What's you think?" Phil glances over at Dean, wondering if he's going to add anything to the conversation, but instead he's leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"It was _terrible_. We need to get a bingo card if they're selling them." The elevator arrives at their floor, and Seth hops out of the elevator first. "Do you know what's on tonight, Dean?" Dean shrugs at Seth's question, and starts down the corridor.

"I know we're having dinner with some of the guys around six. Other than that, you're free to do whatever." Dean swipes the key card to his and Phil's room, and smothers a yawn behind his hand. "Why don't you two go have a look around, and I'll take a nap."

"You feeling okay?" Phil presses a hand against Dean's forehead, and wonders if he's actually concerned or if he's pretending to be. He doesn't want Dean to be sick, but honestly, he can't say that he'd care all that much. He has the feeling that this trip might stir up something inside him, but he's not sure it's something that's going to be good for his relationship with Dean.

"Just tired. I didn't sleep much last night. Too excited, I guess." Dean takes Phil's bag from him, presses a kiss to his cheek, and then hands Phil the key card. "I don't need electricity. I'm just going to have a nap."

"Kay." Phil slips the card into his pocket. Dean closes the door behind him, and Phil takes a deep breath before turning to facing Seth. He already knows that Seth will be wearing a sour little expression, betraying his distaste for Dean.

The rest of the day, Phil and Seth wander the hotel, watching a few talks, and meeting several podcasters, taking selfies with them. After each selfie, Seth posts them on Twitter, and then shows Phil the random likes that each one gets. He's glad that there've not been any off-colour comments made on any of the pictures. He'd half expected that there'd be someone make a sleazy comment, but if there are Seth's not showed him.

Just before six, Dean finally appears. Tom's with him, looking annoyed. As they get closer, Tom's annoyance fades away, and he gives Phil a light hug once he's close enough.

"You two have a fun day?" Tom asks, a soft smile on his face.

"Yeah." Seth answers for them, and Phil turns his attention to Dean. He lightly touches Dean's shoulder, and offers him a smile when Dean turns his attention to him. _Okay_ he mouths when Dean looks at him. Dean nods vaguely, and takes Phil's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it.

"I'm good. You remember the guys we met out dancing? We're eating with them." Dean guides Phil closer, and kisses his temple. "C'mon. I'm starving." He leads them out of the hotel, and to wherever they're going to eat.

Dinner turns out to have been great. Dean's podcasting friends were nice, and engaged Seth in conversation about cage fighting, seemingly impressed with Seth's training. Seth had puffed up, and Phil had sat there feeling very much out of the loop on the whole thing. Still, it was a good night. Dean doesn't really perk up at all. It seems like he's getting more withdrawn the longer the night goes on.

"You sick?" Phil asks once they get back into their room. Dean looks at him blearily, and nods slightly.

"Alpha-flu, babe. I'm being melodramatic." Dean smiles at him softly, and crosses the room to wrap his arms around Phil's waist. "I'm being a pain in the ass, aren't I? I wanted this to be a nice little trip for both of us, but all I've been doing is feeling shitty."

"I had a nice time this afternoon." Phil smiles softly, and presses a kiss to Dean's cheek. "Wanna shower with me?" Dean brushes a finger over Phil's bottom lip, silently requesting Phil to blow him. "I don't think so. I don't wanna catch your cooties." Phil laughs, and leads Dean into the bathroom, shedding his clothes along the way.

"Cooties aren't catchable through semen, babe." Dean laughs, pulling his shirt over his head. "But I don't blame you. I'm a grouch when I'm sick, and grouches don't deserve nice things." Dean laughs, and turns the shower on. "I could do with cuddles tonight though." A warmth trickles over Phil at that, Dean so rarely wants to cuddle, and usually its all Phil would like, so he's not going to deny Dean nothing but cuddles tonight.

The podcast recording room is almost full by the time Seth and Phil get there. He keeps a firm hold of Seth's hand, and scans the room for a pair of free seats. He spots a pair near the middle of the room, and he slinks through the bustle of people, and takes the chairs. Seth genuinely seems to be enjoying the chaos of the amount of people. On the slightly raised platform sits one of the hosts of the show, earphones on, poking at his computer.

"Is that Shane?" Seth elbows Phil, and gestures towards the man. Phil nods absently, and Seth's grin grows even more. "Silver Fox Skeptic indeed, huh Papa?" Seth laughs, and Phil rolls his eyes. He'll not deny that Shane McMahon is a good-looking alpha, but he's surprised his son is teasing him about that. "You think he's single? If you're gonna date a podcaster, I think you should go for a better looking one than Dean."

"C'mon, Sethie. Dean's not a bad looking alpha, and you had fun last night with him." A half smirk spreads over Phil's lips as Seth pulls a mildly irritated expression.

"I had fun with his friends." Seth mutters, and then starts clapping with the rest of the audience, the topic of Dean firmly dropped.

Dean doesn't show up all day, and as they did yesterday, Phil and Seth spend the day moving from talk to talk. Phil ends up having a great time, and got a very flattering picture of himself standing between both Shane and Steve that he sends to the text group with Colt and Brock. Their responses where what Phil had expected, and he spends the rest of the day feeling oddly confident from his friends' kind words. About four, it's time to get ready to head to Brock's fight. Paul's coming to collect them at around five-thirty, and Phil's no idea if Dean's coming or not. The hotel room is empty when Phil gets up there, and so he concludes that Dean's decided to blow them off. He's surprised how little he cares about that. Dean coming to the fight would have been awkward, more awkward than him not coming.

"Hey babe." Dean comes strolling into the room with ten minutes to spare. He offers Phil a tight-lipped smile, and heads to the bathroom. Not a single word on Phil's clothes, not a simple remark that his hair looks nice, or anything. It's not a surprise, but it stings. If Dean's the alpha he's with, then Dean could at least act like he wants Phil to be happy with him instead of this strange ignoring act he's been giving Phil so far this weekend.

"Are you coming to Brock's fight?" Phil calls through the door. On the other side of the door, he can hear Dean clattering around, muttering under his breath.

"Yeah. It's why I'm here, getting ready and all that." Dean cracks open the door, and grins at Phil. "I'm been an ass all weekend, haven't I?" He laughs softly, and regards Phil carefully. "You had fun today? I bumped into Steve…He's pretty taken with you, you know."

"Steve?" Phil takes a step closer, and pauses before the dissipating steam from Dean's shower can mess with his hair.

"Austin…You went to his live record this morning, remember?" Dean laughs, and leaves the bathroom, his towel slung low on his hips. "You sure you gotta go watch this fight? You're looking damn good, and I'm in the mood to stop being an asshole." The smile that spreads over Dean's lips makes Phil's panties feel a lot damper, and whilst it'd be nice for Dean to not be an asshole, he's not going to miss Brock's fight. Brock is his friend, and Phil said he'd be in his corner.

"He was nice." Phil mentally starts trying to make Dean move faster. The alpha seems disinclined to get dressed any faster. He takes his time drying off, then slowly starts pulling on his clothes.

"You sure you wanna go to this fight? I just can't see you enjoying blood sports, babe." Dean looks at him thoughtfully, and Phil shrugs vaguely. He doesn't enjoy the fights, but he does enjoy watching Brock, and he thinks that if he tells Dean that it won't go down well in the least.

"I'm gonna check up on Seth. Paul'll be here in ten minutes. Meet us at the door." Phil takes his leave, unwilling to look to closely at his emotions, because they feel disjointed and not what he thinks they should be at all.

They pull up behind the building Brock's fighting in, and the first thing Dean does is skulk off for a cigarette. It's strange how little Phil cares what he does. At this stage, he's much more concerned with getting Seth past the press that are gathering outside. Paul nudges him lightly, clearly he'd said something and Phil hadn't noticed.

"You okay, Phil?" The rotund alpha asks softly. He looks concerned, and Phil nods mildly. He's fine, if a little annoyed for reasons he can't really put his finger on. "You sure, because you look… _prickly_." Paul laughs softly, and awkwardly pats Phil's shoulder.

"I think…Fuck it, I'm fine." Phil says it quietly, hoping Seth won't hear him swear, but the sharp look he gets from his son lets him know that Seth heard. Phil doesn't swear around his son, he doesn't want Seth picking up his bad habits.

"Prickly." Paul mumbles, and rubs a hand over his face. "Where's Dean?"

"Smoking." Phil turns away from the assembled press to Paul. "Are we going to have to face that?" Phil gestures to the flashing cameras.

"Nah, we'll take the side entrance." Paul starts walking, Seth hot on his heels, questions about the card beginning to tumble from his lips. As they walk past the Press, Phil pauses. In the middle of what looks like an incredibly uncomfortable interview is Brock. The huge alpha is wearing a well-tailored suit, deep grey, with deeper red checks, the very same shade of red as the outfit Phil's wearing. He can't say why, but his feet start him forward, right through the camera flashes, and straight up to Brock.

"What do you think your chances are for winning tonight?" The interviewer has a mic thrust at Brock, and Phil once more without thought tilts it down.

"Chances? Chance has nothing to do with this." Phil laughs, and Brock looks down at him, surprise etched on his face. "You're winning, right?" Phil asks, his lips set in a tight line, one eyebrow raised. Brock laughs, and nods lazily.

"I guess that answers your question, doesn't it?" Brock laughs at the interviewer, and wraps an arm around Phil's shoulders, pulling him a little closer. "The Boss says I'm winning so…" Phil can feel a triumphant smirk stretching his lips, and glances up at Brock. The huge alpha looks ridiculously pleased with himself.

"I guess, but-"

"No buts." Both Phil and Brock say it at the same time, and Phil quickly follows up with a _jinx_. Brock's pleased smile seems to grow wider.

"Your opponent tonight has been chasing your title for a while now. Is there anything that you've done different to prepare for this fight?" The interviewer tries a different tack. Brock shrugs, and gestures to his mouth. "Seriously?" The interviewer looks mildly annoyed that Brock is taking the jinx seriously, but knows well enough to not push the champion. "Good luck then."

"Luck is for losers. Brock's winning." Phil smiles as sweetly as he can, whilst keeping the childish laughter that wants to bubble up his throat at Brock indulging his gate-crashing his interview back. Quickly, Brock ushers them up the rest of the way into the building, and on the other side of the door, Phil lets his giggles go. Brock's laughing along with him, obviously pleased with getting out of the Press so quickly. "I like the suit." Phil says once his laughter subsides. Brock smiles at him fondly, and straightens his suit up.

"Thank you for that out there. I hate the reporters…although I'm sure that Dean won't appreciate it. They're all gonna think that you're mi…that we're together." Brock finishes lamely, and his ears turn crimson. In response Phil laughs softly and shakes his head absently.

"That's Dean's problem, not mine." He mutters, and starts fixing Brock's tie. It's not needed, but he feels the need to touch his friend. He refuses to look too closely at the why he feels this need, because there's no way he'd like the answer to the why question.

"Papa! There you are!" Seth comes scampering up to them, and hugs Phil tightly. "Where did you take off to?"

"He was helping me out." Brock rests a hand on Seth's shoulder, and doesn't seem overly surprised when Seth gives him a light hug. A little part of Phil fills with a stupid warmth at the sight of his son being so comfortable with his friend. It's such a stark contrast to Seth distaste for Dean. Seth likes Brock. Colt likes Brock. Everyone who matters to Phil likes the big alpha, and Phil likes him too, but not as anything more than a friend. A shudder runs through him when he feels Dean's arm wrap around his waist, tugging him closer, farther away from Brock and Seth. Seth's launched into his normal line of questioning for Brock, asking about techniques and strategies, and Brock is, as ever, indulging him. Beside them is where Phil would much rather be, especially compared to Dean's cigarette scented side.

"Sorry, babe. I needed some nicotine." Dean presses a kiss to Phil's temple, and Phil slips from his grasp.

"We should get to our seats, and let Brock get ready." Phil catches Seth's hand, drawing his son's attention to him. Seth nods enthusiastically, and wishes Brock luck.

"In the words of your papa, luck is for losers, and I'm going to win." The sweet smile on Brock's face as he looks at Seth, hardens into a sharp smirk as he glances at Dean. It almost looks like Brock's issuing a challenge to him, a challenge where the prize isn't a belt, but something less tangible; the prize is the right to stand by Phil's side.

"You better." Phil mutters, uncertain if he wants Brock to win his real fight or the one Phil just mentally assigned him.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **agd888,** **iceprincess1987, Loverguyl, takers dark lover, and nabzy.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 _Sorry for the delay. I was having one of those weeks where everything that could go wrong did! To make up for it, I'll push forward the next chapter!_

 _Next update 2017/04/29_


	20. Interlude: 04

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Smut, Profanity._

* * *

"I want a do over." Dean's standing on the tarmac, exactly where he shouldn't be, having a cigarette with the baggage handlers, and Tom. Tom looks annoyed, and tired, and like he'd rather be anywhere than with Dean, which in all honesty Dean can't blame him for. Dean's not going to be good company this weekend. He's got a cold, which means he may as well be dying. He's already not made a good impression on Phil in the plane, and it's only going to be worse with this vanishing stunt. He's wanted this trip away with Phil to be a fun one, but seemingly it's going to be nothing but Dean giving a horrible impression of himself to Phil.

"You ain't getting a do over." Tom mutters, and takes Dean's cigarette from him. "You could have told me that you were on the same flight as me." Tom snaps, taking a long drag. Dean shrugs vaguely, and shakes his head slightly.

"I didn't think to mention it to be honest." He mutters, and scrubs a hand over his face. "I didn't think it'd matter."

"So, what is it you wanna do over on?" Tom sounds bored, and Dean still can't blame him. Tom has to be sick of listening to Dean's whining about Phil. Ever since he and Phil started dated, Dean's been complaining. He'd wanted to be better for Phil, he'd thought he'd be better for Phil, but the truth of the matter is, Dean's as much himself as ever. Phil's not inspiring anything new in Dean, it's frustrating. He'd imagined that once Phil started dating him, he'd be the better alpha Phil deserves, but the truth is, Dean's just Dean, and it's annoying.

"A whole bunch of shit." Dean mutters, and sighs dramatically. "Phil's not impressed with me."

"Has he ever been?" Tom mutters, scowling over at Dean. The longer Dean dates Phil, the more Tom dislikes him in subtle, yet obvious, ways. Tom's definitely grown tired of Dean's constant beating up of himself for not being good enough for Phil, and Dean thinks that maybe he should be too, but he isn't good enough for Phil.

"Probably not, to be honest." Dean grins over at Tom, and decides a subject change is a good idea. "So, when's our record?"

"Sunday morning. You know what you're doing the rest of the time? You've not forgotten about the talks you're meant to be giving, right?" Tom looks torn between annoyed and concerned. He's getting sick of Dean, maybe they should have a break from each other for a while.

"I know. What about you? You go anything exciting lined up?" He decides that moving the topic of conversation to Tom might be a good idea. The omega shrugs vaguely, and Dean silently promises himself that he'll try to give the omegas in his life some space this weekend. It'd be good for Tom to get a bit of a break from him, and as for Phil, Dean's not entirely sure that Phil would want to spend a lot of time him in the first place.

Dean doesn't tell Phil when his talks are, and Phil doesn't ask. Instead Phil leaves before Dean's woken up on Saturday morning, a little note scrawled on a scrap of paper on the bedside table is the only communication from Phil he gets.

 _Paul's coming to pick us up before the fight. If you're coming be ready about 5-ish. – Phil_

No love, not kisses, just a simple note telling Dean what he needs to know and nothing more. He'd be annoyed if he didn't think he deserved nothing more than this. Phil's probably sick of trying to be nice to Dean and getting nothing back. This stark, little note is probably where he's forced Phil's sweet nature.

He's not jealous. Dean keeps telling himself that as he watches Phil stand beside Brock in front of the cameras. There's an ugly bile in the pit of his stomach, and he knows that's jealousy, but for some reason he's telling himself he's not jealous. He is. He knows he is. Phil's laughing, and smiling, and looks stupidly happy with the massive alpha's arm around his shoulders. Brock's smiling sweetly, and the whole thing makes Dean want to punch something, because Phil is his. That stray little thought makes him feel even more annoyed. Phil isn't anyone's, he's his own omega, and he doesn't need some stupid alpha pissing contest being held over him. In all honesty, Dean doesn't think he'd win a pissing contest with Brock over Phil. There's something in the way they are with each other that sets Dean's teeth on edge. He's never been one for believing in the stupid fairy tales of love, but Phil definitely seems more at ease with Brock than with Dean. If either of them were his Prince Charming, Dean would put his money on Brock, and that annoys him in a way he can't fully explain. He's not usually the sort to get jealous, but he is over Phil. He wants the omega. He wants Phil, and he has him, but it feels tenuous. He wants some small, intrinsic part of Phil that he can't put a name to. He wants Phil in a way that makes Dean uncomfortable. He wants to own Phil, and he's made a career out of telling other alphas that's bad.

The majority of the card, Phil spends wincing, and cringing against Dean's shoulder. He can't stamp down the little proud part of him that's wrapped an arm around Phil's shoulders and is holding him close, whispering things about the fights to him occasionally, but as soon as Brock's introduced, Phil's demeanour changes. He sits up straight, and seems rivetted to the sight of the damned near albino alpha making his way to the cage. The fight is short, but it feels like an eternity to Dean. He spends the whole thing scowling at nothing in particular, and feeling incredibly bitter over his omega being more invested in some other alpha. It's his own fault Phil hadn't come to see him talk, but there's a part of him that's loudly complaining that Phil had made the effort to come and see his friend fight, so he could have made the effort to see his mate talk. He's jealous. There's no other explanation that makes sense than that. He is stupidly, painfully jealous of Phil's friendship with Brock, and there seems to be nothing that Dean can do to get rid of the jealousy that's bubbling inside him.

After the fight, they head out for dinner. Some incredibly expensive restaurant that Dean would never be able to afford. Phil's quiet, laughing when he should, commenting when asked, but offering no questions or conversation starters. His son is chatty, bending Brock's ear all night about cage fighting, with the huge alpha answering the kid's questions with seemingly endless patience. And Dean does nothing but throw back more whiskey that smells exactly like Phil.

He'd followed Brock to the bathroom without a game plan, and as Brock meets Dean's eyes, his expression uncomfortably blank, Dean feels that lack of a plan more keenly. He should know why he's here. He should, but he doesn't. The alcohol he's consumed isn't sitting well with him, and he's no idea what's going to happen next.

"I don't know what you think-"

"I don't wanna hear it, alright? I'm with Phil, and you're his _friend_." Dean wonders about his chances if he threw a punch at Brock. The huge alpha was in a fight nearly two hours ago, and he's been very relaxed since then, so maybe he'd land one blow on him. Brock shakes his head, his hands raised in a pacifying gesture.

"I know that." Brock says it softly, like he's trying to defuse the situation and somehow that annoys Dean even more. Without thinking, Dean lunges forward, knowing instantly he's made a terrible decision.

 _Taking Over the Asylum SML! (Sunday morning live)_

 _Dean: It's Sunday morning, we have hangovers, and so do you. Welcome to another episode of Taking Over the Asylum. I'm your host, Dean, and I'm joined as always by the hangover that thinks he's Ebola, Tom Phillips. Say hi to the audience, Tom._

 _Tom: Oh god! How can you be so happy this early in the morning? Jesus! My head is killing me._

 _Dean: Well, I guess it serves you right for trying to keep up with me and Graves last night. Speaking of Graves, we've got a special guest today. Say hi, Cory._

 _Graves: Good morning, New York! Be kind to us, especially Tom. He did very well keeping up, especially considering Dean drank so much that he's probably still drunk now._

 _Dean: Which explains my good mood, doesn't it?_

 _Tom: Yurgh…whatever… On this week's episode..._

 _Dean: We're coming to you live, so as ever with a live episode, it's an AMA!_

 _Tom: Meaning you can ask us anything…it should be an AUA really._

 _Dean: AUA?_

 _Tom: Ask us anything._

 _Dean: Right… AUA it is then! First to the mic, asks the first question!_

 _First Question: Hi! Becky from Ireland. Big fan of the show…uh...long term listener, first time questioner, and it's not the one I thought I'd ask, but Dean, what's with the black eye?_

* * *

 _Many thanks to **ambroserollingirl,** **iceprincess1987, Loverguyl, takers dark lover, and nabzy.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 _Sorry for the delay. I was having one of those weeks where everything that could go wrong did! To make up for it, I'll push forward the next chapter!_

 _Next update 2017/05/06_


	21. Chapter 17

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Smut, Profanity._

* * *

It should be more of a surprise, and it should make Phil more annoyed, but really he can't help but laugh at the scene in front of him. Brock looks like he's going to have a heart attack, and Dean's groaning miserably, clutching his head, slumped against Brock.

"Do I want to know what happened, or will I attribute it to how much he drank and leave it at that?" Phil laughs, shaking his head dismissively when Brock tries to fob Dean off onto him. "I don't want him. Send him back to the hotel in a taxi." Phil shrugs, and slips into the little omega's room. When he comes back out, Brock and Dean are still there.

"I didn't hit him." Brock somehow looks more uncomfortable, and Dean has quietened down.

"No? Pity." Phil mutters, scowling at Dean. He's passed through amusement and is now comfortably annoyed. Brock looks briefly scandalised, and Phil shakes his head with a soft laugh. "He's been…he's not made a good showing of himself in front of Seth this weekend." Brock raises an eyebrow in response to Phil's statement, and shifts his hold on Dean. "He's not made a good showing of himself in general, but alls I wanted from him this weekend was to prove he wasn't a piece of shit to Seth."

"He's failed?" Brock adjusts Dean once more. "You want me to run him back to your hotel?"

"No…I'll take him back. Can you take him outside for me?" Phil can feel a scowl forming on his lips, a deeply deserved scowl. All he had wanted from this weekend was for Dean to be the alpha Phil wants him to be, and all Dean's been is the exact opposite. He might have to accept that Dean isn't ever going to be the alpha Phil wants him to be, and all he can be is a vague memory of Jeff. Brock looks at him thoughtfully for a second, a slow smile spreading over his lips.

"I'll drive you both over, and you can grab yours and Seth's stuff." Brock's smile has taken on a strange, awkwardly hopeful edge.

"Why?" Phil's already started walking to the restaurant's doors though. He's not sure what Brock's planning, but he can tell that he's going to go along with it, because it will be better than spending more time at the conference not with Dean. Not that this weekend has been bad, but it's not been what Phil had hoped for, and spending time with Brock will be exactly what he wants it to be. Spending time with Brock will be nice.

"Well…My dog sanctuary is within driving distance. I was gonna spend a few days there." Brock grins over at Phil, and any doubts he'd had about following Brock's idea melt into nothing. "And you really look like you could use a rest, Boss. Have I over stepped the mark? I'd extend the offer of a visit to Dean as well, I'm not trying to ta-kee-...I…you know what I mean?" Phil looks at him thoughtfully, and laughs softly. All of those aborted words aren't really things Brock would be doing when it comes to Phil. For all there's a part of Phil that thinks he should date Brock, it's not like Brock's ever offered. Brock's stated on several occasions now that he's not ready to settle down, and Phil's going to take Brock at his word.

"I do." He winks slightly, and Brock flushes crimson. "I'm gonna tell Seth that we're dropping Dean off at the hotel, but I think the puppy sanctuary should be a surprise, right?"

"You're sure?" Brock looks torn between happy, worried, and concerned. Phil can feel a bright smile spreading over his lips, and he feels oddly elated at the idea of spending time with his friend. It'll be so nice to just hang out with a friend instead of having to deal with Dean.

"Very sure. I'll be back in a minute, get him to the car, okay?" Brock nods at Phil, and starts carrying Dean out, pausing to talk to a member of the restaurant's staff on his way.

"Seth, I'm gonna take Dean back to the hotel, he's not feeling too great. Do you mind?" Phil looks hopefully at Paul. The rotund alpha chuckles and shakes his head.

"Don't be long, or we'll order dessert without you." Paul laughs, and lightly nudges Seth.

"Don't worry, Papa. I know what you'd want from the menu. Brook too." Seth tacks that little comment about Brock on with a laugh, and Phil is once more struck by how much Seth likes the huge alpha. He ruffles Seth's hair, and scampers out of the restaurant.

It takes very little time to get back to the hotel Dean's conference is being held in. Inside Phil recognises a few of the podcasters, some of them offer him kindly smiles and sympathetic nods towards Dean, along with bewildered stares at Brock.

"Phil?" Tom rushes over to them as they're standing waiting for an elevator. "What happened here?" A slender alpha with slicked-back hair trails along behind Tom, and gently takes his hand, standing close to him.

"He drank too much." Phil mutters, stabbing the elevator call button again. An idea forms in his mind, an idea to ease Dean's concern come tomorrow morning when he wakes up to find that Phil's gone, because he will be gone. If Brock hadn't offered he and Seth place to stay, Phil would have crashed the night in Seth's room. "Will you do me a favour?" Tom nods slightly, a worried look crossing his face. "Will you stay with him?"

"He's been -"

"Don't." Phil knows that Tom was about to try to mitigate Dean's behaviour this weekend, and Phil's not in the right frame of mind to hear it. "Let him make his excuses next week, okay?" The elevator dings, and they pile in. Phil stares resolutely into the mirrored doors as the elevator travels. Dean's face slack with drunken stupor, a bruise blossoming over one eye. He's handsome, but he's not right for Phil. He'll listen to Dean's excuses, if Dean makes them, and he'll accept Dean's excuses, because that's what he does, but he shouldn't. Brock meets Phil's eyes and offers him a little smile. It's a completely motive free smile, nothing more than the slight quirking of Brock's lips, a little happy acknowledgment of Phil's attention. Tom clears his throat, snapping Phil's attention to him, and filling him with a panic that it might look like he's flirting with Brock. He's not. The single last thing he wants to do is flirt with the only alpha he knows isn't going to screw him over. Tom looks at him, _are you fucking him_ clearly in his gaze. Phil shakes his head, and glances over at the alpha holding Tom's hand. Tom blushes lightly. Phil gives Tom a slight smile, and a tiny nod of approval. Tom's not going to be Phil's friend so he probably doesn't care if Phil approves, but it's still nice to appreciate another omega's good choice in mate.

Once they're in the room, Brock deposits Dean on the bed, and Phil packs quickly. Brock takes the case from him once it's packed, and Phil heads to Seth's room, Tom trailing behind him.

"What'll I say to him?" Tom perches on the bed in Seth's hotel room, his eyes boring a hole into Phil's back.

"Honestly, you shouldn't need to say anything." Phil sighs, staring straight back at Tom. "He's been…I just wanted him to try, you know? I knew that my kid would be a hurdle, you even told me that, but he could at least fucking try! And if he doesn't want to, then leave me alone."

"You don't mean that." Tom mutters, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "You went into this knowing, and wanting him to be a piece of shit." Phil knows he looks scandalised, but Tom forges on. "The garbage ex, the one Dean's told me about, he reminds you of him, doesn't he?" Phil glances away, and Tom gets to his feet. He comes closer to Phil, and takes a firm hold of his shoulders. "You can't make him what he isn't."

"What isn't he?" Even to his own ears, Phil sounds lost. Tom squeezes his shoulders lightly, and smiles sadly.

"Everyone here knows." Tom steps away, a kind but sad smile on his face. "I'll stay with him tonight, try to talk some sense into him, but you know that you need to listen to your gut on this. You know what you need to do."

"You ready?" Brock pokes his head around the door, that little smile on his lips again. Phil zips up Seth's suitcase, looks around the room again, and nods.

All the way back to the restaurant and through the rest of dinner, Phil's mind is churning over what Tom said to him. Does he know what he needs to do? He doesn't think so. He thinks he's no idea what he needs to do. His gut is a mess of contradictions over Dean, over Brock, over his own desires. He wants Dean. He wants the thrill and the danger of dating him, but he knows that Seth needs an alpha in his life. His son's needs are much more important than his own, and Dean isn't meeting any of Seth's needs. Brock, on the other hand, is but Phil doesn't want Brock, probably at least, because Phil wouldn't mind the Brock that stalks into the cage for a fight. That Brock isn't his friend, that Brock is nothing but strength, determination, and solid planes of muscle, that Brock would devour Phil whole, and Phil would love every minute of it. However, that Brock only seems to exist for moments in the cage, outside of the cage, Brock is Phil's dear friend, and there isn't an ounce of the exciting danger that gets Phil wet in him. So, unlike what Tom thinks, Phil has no idea what he needs to do.

"You're giving us a ride back to the hotel, Brock?" Seth asks as he settles into the back seat of Brock's car after they'd finished up dinner. Phil turns to Seth, and shakes his head. "No? Where we going then, Papa?"

"A surprise!" Phil grins at his son, and hides a smile as Seth smothers a yawn with his hand.

"There's a blanket beside you back there if you're sleepy, Seth." Brock starts driving, and Seth levels Phil with a look he's not seen since Seth still believed in Santa. He looks delighted, even sounds delighted when he snuggles up in the blanket. "Sorry, I don't have a blanket for you, Boss." Brock glances over at Phil, seemingly reluctant to take his eyes off the road.

"S'okay." Phil yawns, squirming in his seat. He glances back at Seth, noting that he must have been more tired than he was letting on, because he's fast asleep already. "Watching fights really tuckers him out, huh?" Brock laughs softly at Phil's comment, a smile on his lips.

"Watching, and then analysing them afterwards. It's tiring work, all that discussion." Brock glances Phil's way again.

"I'm sorry he's so…chatty." Phil starts unwinding his hair from the complicated up-do it was in, collecting the bobby-pins between his teeth.

"Sorry? Why? He's an amazing kid." Brock looks and sounds appalled. "If he can bring half of his analyse ability to the cage, he'll be as good as Charlie in her prime, and he's got his papa's sense of humour. He's a credit to you, Boss. I…this is gonna sound weird, but I'm glad you let me be a part of his life too. I'm proud of how well he's coming along, and so proud to have him training out of my gym. He's gonna be a hell of a fighter one day." Phil takes the pins from his mouth, and slips them into a pocket before he reaches over, and lightly rests his hand on Brock's shoulder, drawing the huge alpha's attention to him.

"I'm glad he doesn't annoy you. So many alphas I've known…" Phil sighs, and rests his head back against the seat. "He's not their kid, and so many just hold that against, I dunno, me or him or both of us. I've…making friends with alphas is hard, you know?"

"Yup. It's why I generally don't. Alphas are kind of asses. It's why I like omegas." Brock's hand briefly rests on top of Phil's then he quickly returns it to the steering wheel. "It's a fairly long drive, if you wanna take a nap, Boss." Brock smiles over at him for a second, and Phil yawns once more.

"I dunno, some alphas are pretty good." Phil move to rub his eyes, but remembers the amount of make-up he's wearing, and settles for blinking instead. "You don't want me to keep you awake?" Phil yawns again, and Brock chuckles softly.

"You don't look like you'll be able to keep yourself awake, nevermind me too. What've you been up this weekend? Did you go see anything interesting at that conference?" Brock genuinely sounds interested, and once more Phil's mind decides to point out that his friend would make a fine mate, perhaps he could fake desire for the huge alpha so he could have a partner that actually gave a damn about him and his life.

"We went to a few live podcast recordings… A couple of talks… I don't think you'd be interested in any of them to be honest. It was all atheists or sceptics bitching, not the sort of thing I can see you being into at all." Phil turns to regard Brock thoughtfully. His attention is on the road, but he does react to what Phil said, a slight twist of his lips, and a vague nod in agreement. "We went to go see one of our favourite podcasts being recorded…The hosts are the alphas in that picture I sent the group chat."

"The good-looking bald alpha and the grey-haired one?" There's no change in Brock's tone, no hint of anything but the question. If Phil had let Dean see that picture, he doesn't doubt there'd be jealousy in his tone or his actions. It seems to ooze from Dean the way bad smells ooze from garbage in summer.

"Yeah. They did God's Not Dead… There are times that I wish I drank so I could play drinking bingo with the films…This one would have gotten me blitzed…Maybe I should see if that's something that'd get Dean to spend time with me and Seth." Phil laughs and shakes his head. "I swear he's terrified that Seth exists. I understand he's stressing over his own childhood, but Seth's not him and he's not whatever stepdads he's had over the years. Would it kill him to acknowledge that Seth is there? That Seth is my son, and so we come as a pair?" Phil's waiting for Brock to say something, but instead a hard look crosses Brock's face.

"I wish I had punched him, instead of just moving to the side." Brock mutters darkly, and Phil can't quite smother a laugh.

"What is it with you and wanting to punch alphas who've upset me?" Phil can feel his lips stretch into a fond smile as Brock's ears turn crimson.

"Sometimes alphas need a punch in the face." Brock's tone is low and soft. "Do we need to be back for Monday?" Brock changes the subject abruptly, but Phil can't blame him there. The line of conversation could have taken some uncomfortable turns from the avenue they were on.

"Nah, don't need to be back till Tuesday. Two days off, I figured Seth'd be tired from a flight on Monday, so I asked for Tuesday off as well. My bag's in the trunk isn't it?" Phil sighs, and decides that his itchy eye is more important than not smearing his make-up.

"I need to get some gas at the next place, so you can fish out whatever it is you need then, okay?" Brock's wearing an oddly content little smile, like there's literally no where he'd rather be than in a car with Phil and Seth.

After taking his make-up off, Phil must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing he's really aware of is Brock very carefully waking him up. Phil blinks at him vaguely, a silly little smile on his face.

"Hey, we're here, Boss." Brock very gently tucks a few strands of Phil's hair behind his ear, almost caressing it. "I'm gonna need you to get the doors, so I can get Seth to bed, okay?"

"Hmm? Sure." Phil yawns, and scrubs at one of his eyes with his knuckles. "Gimme a key." Brock hands him a key, and Phil rubs both his eyes to try and clear the sleep from them. Brock's left the lights for his car on, shining at the impressive house in front of them. It's big, but not gratuitously so, and all around there's the soft rustle of wind through trees. Phil half-stumbles up to the front door, and opens it, letting Brock, carrying Seth, past him.

"C'mon. I think he'll like this room." Brock gestures to a closed door down a corridor, and Phil opens it letting Brock set Seth down on the bed. "He sleeps like the dead."

"Always has." Phil chuckles, and ushers Brock from the room. "What makes you think he'll like that room?"

"It looks right out onto the puppy run, and a whole litter of pitbull crosses were dropped off about three weeks ago." Brock grins at Phil. "Here, you take the room beside him." Brock ushers Phil into the next room with a gentle nudge.

"So, he's gonna wake up and promptly die of cuteness overload. Sounds reasonable." Phil rubs his eyes, and yawns again. "At least Dean'll be pleased." Brock snarling _I should have fucking knocked his ass out_ is the last thing Phil hears before he falls back asleep.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **moiself** **,** **abroserollinsgirl, Loverguyl, and takers dark lover.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 _Next update 2017/05/13_


	22. Chapter 18

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Smut, Profanity._

* * *

"Papa! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Phil's awoken by Seth bouncing on the bed beside him. The very large, very comfortable bed, he'd slept in like a log, and slightly regrets not changing into pyjamas or getting undressed before falling asleep. Seth's still wearing the clothes he had been last night too, but doesn't seem to care as he's apparently too excited by something that he desperately wants Phil to see. As nice as Seth being so sweetly childish is, Phil would rather have another few minutes sleep, but clearly his son's needs come first.

"What is it?" Phil smothers a yawn, and slithers out of bed, mourning how comfortable and cosy he'd been moments ago. Seth bounds over to the window, and with a flourish casts the curtains open.

"Tah-dah!" Seth gestures frantically to the vast garden outside that is filled with snuffling and gambolling puppies. All thoughts of sleep fade into nonexistence, and Phil takes a place beside Seth, cooing at the precious little dogs frolicking in the grass. "Aren't they the cutest things in the World?"

"Almost as cute as my son." Phil wraps an arm around Seth's shoulders, and presses a kiss to his hair. Seth squawks indignantly, and Phil barks a soft laugh. "C'mon, let's go see if Brock has a shower we can throw your stinky butt into."

"I knew we'd end up at Brock's place." Seth sounds incredibly smug, and Phil glances over at him. "What? The prospect of petting dogs was there for you, Papa, and if there's one thing you love it's doggos!" Phil rolls his eyes, and opens the bedroom door, poking his head out, looking for Brock. There's no immediate sign of him, but Phil can hear what sounds like someone moving around elsewhere in the house. "Papa! C'mere!" Seth calls out suddenly, and Phil turns back to his son. Out in the garden, even more dogs are out and frolicking with the puppies.

"Oh my god." Phil whispers softly. "I wanna pet them all." Phil stands beside his son, his gaze rivetted to the scene outside.

"You two wanna have breakfast?" Phil hadn't heard Brock entering the room, and embarrassingly he jumps at the sound of Brock's voice. "Cause if you do, it's ready."

"Brock!" Seth sounds delighted, and gives Brock a tight hug. "Thanks for letting us stay." Brock nods vaguely, an awkward smile on his lips, but a fond look in his eyes.

"No problem. Dining room's this way." Brock leads the way. Reluctantly, Phil turns from the dogs, and follows along. "I've a lot of work I need help with today, so I'm gonna need you to get ready as quickly as possible." Brock sets the first plate of food down in front of Seth, and pats him on the shoulder.

"Me to help with what?" Seth sounds mildly confused, and is staring at the pancakes and bacon on the plate.

"He makes good pancakes, Sethie." Phil grins over at him, making Seth stare at him in confusion.

"When did Brock make you breakfast?" His tone is thick with suspicion, and Phil begins to worry that maybe Seth might get the wrong end of the stick, but before he can answer Brock returns with two plates.

"A while back." He sets one plate down in front of Phil, and then takes a seat at the table. "And I'll be needing both of your help."

"Ah! So, that's why you invited us out here." Phil grins at Brock, worries about Seth thinking they're together shoved to the back of his mind. He's in a ridiculously good mood. He slept like a log, was woken up by his excited son, got to see what feels like a million dogs, and now is eating breakfast someone else made for him, this is possibly the nicest morning Phil's had in years. Silly concerns about misconceptions aren't going to ruin it.

"You got me, Boss. I invited you over and am now bribing you with breakfast all in the hopes that you'll bail me out." Brock's grinning straight back at him, looking he's enjoying having Phil there are much as Phil's enjoying being there.

"So long as it's not killing someone, for these pancakes I'm in." Seth adds, earning a genuinely amused laugh from both Phil and Brock.

"Did I not say they were good pancakes." Phil smiles over at his son, watching Seth obviously trying to refrain from demolishing his breakfast.

"They're one of the few things I can cook…Pancakes, grilled cheese, and chicken breasts, those are my specialities." Brock smiles wryly, and heads back to the kitchen. He returns with some extra pancakes and more rashers of bacon. "I always make too much, and I wasn't sure how hungry you'd be so there's plenty left if you want some more." With that tacit permission, Seth starts devouring his pancakes like he had obviously wanted.

"Papa makes a pretty good mac and cheese." Seth talks around a full mouth, and Brock shakes his head at him with a wry smile on his mouth. "He's not a bad cook, but his mac and cheese is the best."

"Thanks for that, Sethie. I've always wanted to know what the one thing I could cook was." Phil shakes his head, and swipes another rasher of bacon from the plate.

"I said you were a good cook!" Seth looks slightly affronted, and Phil can't keep his laugh back anymore. "Kind of at least." Seth grins, and this time Brock joins in with Phil's laugh. " _Anyway_ ," Seth says pointedly, "what is it you need help with, Brock?"

"Ah…it's serious business, and will take all three of us all day. I'm sorry to make such a bold request," here Brock takes a deep breath, a solemn look crossing his face, "but I need your help walking the dogs." For a second Phil stares at him blankly, a blank look that Seth is wearing too, and then a brilliant smile blossoms over Seth's face, and Phil can't keep what probably is a manic grin from his own lips.

"I think we'll manage that." Phil speaks softly, and keeps eating.

"Lemme do the dishes." Seth says once he's eaten, getting to his feet to collect the dishes. Brock looks at him in confusion, and waves Seth's offer off.

"I've a machine, don't worry about them." Brock shakes his head, and seems amused by the look that crosses Seth's face. He turns to Phil, clearly looking for some way to deal with this situation. Phil's raised his son to be kind and helpful, and right now Seth's training is being denied.

"Load the machine, then get your stinky butt in the shower. Don't think I've not noticed that you're still wearing last night's clothes." Phil chuckles at the slightly defiant embarrassment in Seth's expression, he pointedly ignores the _you're still wearing yesterday's clothes too_ that Seth mutters under his breath as he collects the dirty plates.

"Does Seth drink coffee?" Brock asks, looking like he's going to head to kitchen to start making a pot.

"He's still not sold on it, or at least he wasn't the last time we had it." Phil gets to his feet, and trails after Brock. "Thanks for breakfast." Phil rests his hand Brock's arm. Seth clears his throat, and Phil notices that they're blocking the doorway to the kitchen. Seth looks at Phil with a single raised eyebrow, and Phil shakes his head slightly, taking his hand from Brock's arm. "You on coffee or not, kiddo?" Seth scrunches his nose up, and shakes his head. "Alright, to the shower with you."

"There's a bathroom beside your bedroom, Seth." Brock slips into the kitchen, missing the look of mild shock that crosses Seth's face at that comment. Phil shakes his head, hoping his son isn't getting the wrong idea. That it's the room Seth slept in is the only reason that bedroom is his, there's nothing between Phil and Brock, and Seth doesn't need that idea in his head.

"I'll be quick, Papa." Seth presses a quick kiss to Phil's cheek. Phil ruffles his hair, and follows Brock into the kitchen.

"Thanks for this, Garbage Man." Phil stresses once more, and perches on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. He wants Brock to know how grateful he is for him taking them in after the shitty few days with Dean they'd had. Brock glances over at Phil, and shakes his head.

"It's nothing. In all honesty…I like having you both here. It's…it's nice." Brock finishes lamely, and offers Phil a cup of coffee. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Like the dead. That's a damned comfortable bed." Phil winks at him, and has the terrible feeling that he's blushing fiercely. Brock grins at him, and sips at his coffee. "We're really walking dogs all day?" Phil changes the subject abruptly.

"Uh-huh." Brock nods. "Every weekend a bunch of kids come and walk them, but there's always extra dogs for walking."

"Kids?" Phil sits up a bit straighter, intrigued by what Brock just said.

"Yeah, we're out in the sticks, but close enough for a few cities to reach. So, every weekend some in care kids are bussed out to walk the dogs. It's good for them, and the dogs." Brock smiles and polishes off his coffee. "You can have the shower upstairs. You've got to ten to get ready, Boss." Phil glances at the clock, and drains his coffee. He's got twenty minutes to get himself decent enough to face the world. It suddenly occurs to him that he has no problem with Brock seeing him look scruffy and in need of a shower, and he really doesn't want to examine that thought too much. Brock is happy being single, and Phil is dating Dean. "C'mon, I'll show you." Brock gets to his feet, and pulls Phil to his.

"You've got two bathrooms?" Phil lets Brock lead him by the hand to the room he'd slept in, so he can collect his bag.

"Three. There's an en-suite in my room…four toilets though." Brock mutters, still leading Phil by the hand as they head upstairs.

"Four toilets?" The thought that he should probably get Brock to let go of his hand occurs to Phil, but he can't really bring himself to tug his hand free. It's kind of nice to feel Brock's big hand, gently cradling Phil's own much smaller one. It's very different to the way it feels on the odd occasion that Dean holds his hand. Dean grips him too tightly, but Brock is so gentle with him. Phil shakes his hand, and tunes back into Brock rambling about the toilet in a cupboard in the basement.

"Well, at least you've got plenty of plumbing." Phil jokes weakly, and Brock chuckles. "I'll be quick." Phil slips into the bathroom. He presses his head against the door, and takes a deep breath. "I'm leading him on. I'm leading my fucking friend on, or at least I would be if he was fucking interested, which I know he isn't." Phil shakes his head, and turns the shower on. He knows that he shouldn't be here. He should still be with Dean. He should have stayed in the hotel with Dean last night and talked about how badly the weekend was going, and about how it could be made better. That's a question Phil isn't sure about the answer to at all. This weekend has been a condensing of their relationship, and he's no idea what can be done get their relationship back on track, if it ever was on track. He needs to sit down and talk about him and Dean with Colt. Colt will have good advice for him, but Phil has the sinking feeling that any conversation about alphas he has with Colt won't be about Dean.

"Papa! You're not seriously wearing those in public!" Seth sounds scandalised when Phil enters the kitchen. Brock turns to look, his eyes linger on Phil's face for a second, and his ears promptly turn crimson.

"I accidentally slept in my contacts two nights in a row. I don't wanna go blind. My corneas need to breathe! So, you'll have to deal with your papa looking like a dork." Phil adjusts his glasses, and ruffles Seth's hair.

"Your papa looks lovely." Brock mutters, not quite looking at Phil. "You ready, Boss?"

"See! I'm at least a lovely dork." Phil sticks his tongue out at Seth, and internally wishes he hadn't. Seth's going to read this wrong, he's going to see his papa and his papa's friend that he really likes flirting with each other, he's going to see something that isn't there. Seth rolls his eyes, and shakes his head, but there's a very happy little smile on his lips. He's getting the wrong idea, and is very happy about it, which makes the problem worse. "So, we're going puppy walking now?" Brock nods, and ushers them out of the door.

"See! I told you the boss-alpha was home, Sasha." A pretty female omega with long, brown hair tied up in a high side ponytail is standing in the huge back-garden, holding several leashes in her hand. A smaller, pink-haired female omega approaches holding even more leashes. She grins brightly, and waves at them.

"Hey Brock! I see you _finally_ brought Phil and Seth to meet us. Hey! I'm Sasha, and this is my lovely mate Bayley." The little omega hands Phil a leash, smiling at him brightly. "We've heard _all_ about you both, but knowing the boss-alpha he'll have mentioned us in passing, because he's terrible at doing anything but listening intently to beautiful omegas." Sasha laughs, and thumps Brock on the arm. "How he's not bonded yet is a mystery!" She laughs again as Brock takes to impersonating a tomato. "Let's go get these doggos." She takes pity on Brock, and leads the way to the kennels.

A day of walking dogs, laughing at Brock's bad almost dad jokes, and entertaining kids was incredibly tiring, but utterly enjoyable. The last group of kids leave with enthusiastic waves and calls of _see you soon!_ Several of the kids have traded Facebook ids with Seth, and Phil had been quite concerned, but Brock's vouched that each of the kids were good at heart, and somehow that alone had put Phil's worries to rest.

"I'm ordering pizza." A tired sounding Bayley wanders up, a grin on her face. "Any requests?"

"Pepperoni. This is my only demand." Brock's standing beside Phil, a little closer than he should be, but not as close as Phil would like. It's the same problem Phil's had all day. He wants something he really shouldn't, he wants Brock to wrap his arm around Phil's shoulder, and hold him close, but he knows he shouldn't want it at all. Brock is his friend, and Phil's dating another alpha, but Brock is there, and Brock is kind and sweet and Seth loves him. It's a stupid problem to have, one that Phil thinks he's thinking too much about, one he should stop stressing over because it's probably not a problem at all.

"Mushrooms." Phil adds, and Seth groans. He hates mushrooms with a burning passion. He'd never been a bad kid for not eating vegetables, but Phil could never get him to eat mushrooms.

"Papa! Not mushrooms." Seth pokes his tongue out, and Bayley nods.

"I'll get two. You mushroom liking weirdos can share." Bayley pulls her phone out, and casts a mean look at her mate. Sasha pokes her tongue out, and smiles over at Phil.

"Mushrooms are the best, and I'm glad that I've finally got some support on the mushroom front." Sasha loops her arm around Phil's. "The best pizza I ever had was one with goat's cheese, mushrooms, and pesto. It was amazing."

"Sounds delicious." Phil pats her hand gently, and Sasha nods.

"It was. What we are watching with dinner, and who is helping me give the doggos their dinners?" Sasha lets Phil go, and Seth's instantly following along behind her.

"Are you coming, Papa?" Seth calls out, looking hopefully back at Phil. It takes him barely a moment to make his decision.

"C'mon, Garbage Man, we've still got work to do." Phil gently taps Brock's shoulder, and follows Seth and Sasha, trusting Brock to be following him.

They eat the pizza in the basement, watching some movie, on the massive TV down there, that Seth and Sasha love, but everyone else isn't overly into. Seth definitely admires Sasha, she seems to fascinate him so much, and once more Phil considers if Seth might be gamma. He really does seem to get more invested and interested in omegas compared alphas. In fact, the only alpha Seth's ever seemed to really like is Brock. It's not a big thing if Seth is gamma, but Phil would like to know for sure, if only so he can get his hopes for grandkids down.

After the movie, a yawning and tired looking Seth goes to bed. He insists that he'll be more than capable of putting himself to bed, so Phil can stay where he is. He's once more struck by how closer to being fully grown Seth is. The amount of things that Seth needs Phil for is getting smaller and smaller. He wants another kid, not desperately, but Phil would like another child, maybe an alpha this time. A little alpha that can grow up big and strong, a little alpha with pale blue eyes like his father, and Phil cuts that train of thought there. He doesn't need to be dwelling on silly things like that. About an hour later, Sasha and Bayley head home, leaving Phil and Brock alone watching a different movie that Phil hasn't paid a second's worth of attention to.

"Hey." Phil says softly after a little more time passes, Brock turns to him, and Phil moves closer, resting his head against Brock's shoulder. He's not going to think about this. It's not a problem if he doesn't think it is one, and right now he doesn't want it to be one.

"Boss?" Brock sounds mildly confused, slightly uncomfortable, but mostly content.

"I don't want to, but do you need me to explain this, or can you just…" Phil trails off because he doesn't need to finish the sentence, Brock's already wrapped his arm around Phil's shoulder and pressed a kiss to his hair. Thankfully, right now at least, this doesn't seem to be a problem for Brock either.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **agd888,** **abroserollinsgirl, takers dark lover, and Rebellecherry.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 _I'm hoping to finish this before I start my exams so... next update 2017/05/20_


	23. Chapter 19

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

It's Monday. Not a reasonable time on Monday, but Monday all the same. Phil had slept so well last night that not being able to sleep now is startling to him, but he knows why he's not sleeping. There's only one stupid reason he's not sleeping that shouldn't be a reason at all, because it really was nothing. He and Brock had stayed up a little later, watching some rubbish TV together on the couch, with Phil comfortably cuddled against Brock's side, his arms wound around the huge alpha's waist. When they'd parted to go to bed, Brock hadn't said anything about it, acting like nothing had happened, like Phil hadn't felt that gentle kiss to his hair. Not something to keep him awake, because there's no real way that he and Brock are going to be more than friends. Brock's not interested in dating, and Phil's dating Dean. He can't help but realise how many times that's occurred to him today, well yesterday. It feels like an excuse he's clinging to desperately

"Hey…you awake?" Brock's voice is a soft surprise, and all Phil does is merely sit up slowly at the sound of it. He'd left the door to the room he's sleeping in open out of habit, and he supposes that Brock had noticed the light from his phone. "You can't sleep, Boss?" Brock pokes his head around the door, his expression hidden in the dim light.

"Yeah." Phil tucks his legs up, leaving the end of the bed free, and gestures towards it. "Wanna have a seat?" Nervously Brock perches on the end of the bed, his gaze somewhere to the left of Phil's head. "So, how come you can't sleep?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing." Brock laughs, and looks down at the bedspread, picking at it absently. He sighs softly, and shakes his head. "Nothing I want to say is my place."

"Tell me anyway?" Phil scoots a little further down the bed, and takes a hold of Brock's hand. "You're my friend." Phil squeezes his hand tightly, and Brock looks up at him, an open, bare expression in his eyes. For a second, Phil can see how much that comment hurts, how much Brock's lying to himself when it comes to his fondness for being single, and in that second Phil knows that what happens next is important for them both. The next thing that happens will decide something for them both, but Phil's no idea which one of them should be the one to make that decision. Brock looks at him hopelessly for a second, and then turns back to the bedspread. "If you don't think it's your place, it'll be about Dean, right?"

"He doesn't…I don't think that…" Once more Brock turns to him helplessly, and Phil looks at him thoughtfully. He has the feeling he knows what Brock's going to say, but Phil's not sure Brock's ready to say it or that he's ready to hear it.

"He's not texted or called yet." It's entirely not what Phil had wanted to say, entirely the opposite of what he should say, and Brock merely nods thoughtfully.

"Why are you with him?" Not the comment Brock had come here to make judging by the look on his face, but one that seems to be important enough for him to brave looking Phil in the eyes.

"I…that's a bigger question than you think, Garbage Man." Phil laughs softly, and flops back against the pillows, casting his gaze up to the darkened ceiling.

"It shouldn't be, Boss." Brock shifts, and his head settles on the pillows to Phil's left. "There should be only one reason you're with someone."

"Oh?" Phil turns to look at him, and ignores the little bubble of contentment that stirs in him. Having Brock close feels safe, usually safe isn't something Phil wants but after the last few days of mostly being ignored by Dean, a little safe is a welcome change. "You gonna tell me what that one reason is then?" Brock shakes his head, his eyes focussed on the ceiling.

"You already know, Phil. You shouldn't be with him if he doesn't make you happy, if you don't love him." Brock's lips press together firmly, and his eyes fall closed. Phil looks over at him thoughtfully, watching Brock carefully keep no expression on his face.

"Hmm." Phil doesn't answer, mostly because he's thinking about what Brock said. He's not entirely sure that Dean does make him happy. Dean makes him feel many things, but he's not sure happy is one of them. He and Dean aren't in this for the long term, he knows that, but he's no idea how long they are going to be together, and for the first time that concerns him. "If I told you he didn't, what would you do?" Brock doesn't open his eyes, his eyebrows knit though. Phil moves a little closer, and rests his head on the same pillow as Brock's. "If I told you I didn't love him, then what?"

"Phil." There's a weight in the way Brock says his name. A great, important weight that Phil isn't comfortable with identifying. Brock seems to recognise that, and offers him a slight smile rather than a comment. "I…so how come you can't sleep?"

"Honestly? I've no idea." Phil closes his eyes, and rests his head against Brock's shoulder. "Probably, because…" Phil trails off, and snuggles slightly against Brock. "You staying the night, Garbage Man?" Brock's arm slips around Phil's shoulders, and he mutters _good night_ against Phil's hair. The subject of Dean dropped for now, a problem for later.

A few hours of pleasantly deep sleep later, Phil slips from bed. Brock isn't one of those sleepers who take up a lot of space, in fact he's not moved from where he'd settled last night. Phil can't help but pause before he heads to the shower, watching Brock sleep in what is currently his bed. If Seth sees Brock lying where he is, Seth's going to have far too many questions, and yet Phil can't think of one for himself. Brock sleeping in his bed isn't dragging any pertinent questions to his mind, and the fact that doesn't shock Phil, shocks him.

"Not a problem." Phil mutters, and heads to the shower. He rushes through it, wanting to get the day started as soon as possible. He's certain that he owes Brock more than the breakfast he's going to make for yesterday, but it's the best he can offer his friend right now.

"Morning, Boss." Brock sounds strangely soft, yawning, and wearing a gentle smile.

"Morning. Any breakfast requests?" Phil's wrapped up in a towel, cursing the fact he'd not taken clothes into the bathroom with him, but Brock's definitely not looking at him. Brock's pointedly looking the opposite direction, letting Phil save his modesty.

"Uh…not that I can think of." Brock laughs nervously, and gets out of bed, awkwardly shuffling to the door, with his back partially turned to Phil. "I'm gonna have my morning run." He glances over at Phil, his face violently red, and Phil can't help but smile slightly at him. Whatever happened last night isn't something they're going to discuss just yet, and in all honesty, Phil's relieved by that. He's not sure what he'd say to Brock if he asked why Phil had cuddled up to him last night. There's an answer, of that Phil's certain, but he's still not sure it's an answer worth sharing. He'd curled up with Brock because he knew Brock would let him. He curled up with Brock because Dean has never given Phil the indication that he'd like Phil to snuggle with him. He'd curled up with Brock because he wanted to. That's what it all boils down to in the end. He'd wanted to feel Brock's arm around his shoulders, he'd wanted to feel Brock's warmth at his side, he'd wanted to know that there was someone who cared for him, and he _knows_ Brock cares for him. Brock cares for Phil more than Brock cares about himself. Brock's own needs, his own desires come a sharp second place to Phil's, and that's a great deal of responsibility to be gifted by an alpha who is nothing more than his friend, but Phil's entirely sure that Brock will forever be happy with the status of being nothing more than Phil's friend. The question is, will Phil be happy with Brock being nothing more than his friend? His musings carry him through getting dressed, and all the way to Brock's kitchen.

"Who knows." Phil mutters to himself. It's something to dwell on when he's not trying to decide what to make for breakfast. In the kitchen, he's presented with realisation he's not idea what Brock has in his fridge, but he's sure that Brock's bound to have ingredients he can make something decent from. "Eggs? We have eggs…bacon…bell peppers…omelettes…could do omelettes…yeah…omelettes."

"You talking to yourself, Boss?" Brock's voice is a surprise, causing Phil to jump in surprise. Brock's leaning against the door frame, a lazy smile on his face as he watches Phil.

"I usually do, to be honest, Garbage Man." Phil shakes his head, and starts chopping up some vegetables. "I'm doing omelettes. Any requests?"

"Whatever'll be fine. You're a pretty good cook after all." Brock laughs, and Phil can't help but join him in laughing in memory of Seth's comments on Phil's cooking talents not so long ago.

"Very true. You hear anything from Seth on your way past?" Phil looks up from his growing pile chopped vegetables. There's something normal about this, about making breakfast for Brock, about asking about Seth, about having spent the night at Brock's side. Normal, comfortable, and something he's going to need to talk to Colt about, because it's a problem.

"Not a peep. You want me to knock on his door before I head out?" Brock has an expression on his face that Phil doesn't recognise. He's not sure what it means, but it doesn't make him uncomfortable. He's sure that Brock isn't capable of making him feel uncomfortable.

They spend the day rather like yesterday, walking dogs, laughing at Brock's jokes, chatting with Bayley and Sasha. Come dinner time, Phil drags Seth into the kitchen with him, intent on making something for Brock as a further repayment for his kindness, but it only takes ten minutes for Brock to get bored of whatever he'd been doing and join them in the kitchen. Between them they made dinner, then sat around the kitchen table to eat. After dinner, they spend the night in the basement watching TV with an army of dogs, that they tuck up in their cages come doggy bed time. When it's time for human bed, Phil can't quite explain the butterflies he feels in his stomach. It's been a fine day, and he's sure that the journey back home to Chicago tomorrow will be fine, so there's no need for the butterflies that have made their home in his stomach.

"Boss?" Brock's gentle voice, and an even gentler touch to Phil's shoulder soothe the butterflies into peace. "C'mon up to bed."

"Lemme get my pjs." Phil isn't going to look to closely at how easily he's agreeing to this, he just is. He'd slept well beside Brock last night in the guest bed, and he'll sleep well tonight beside Brock in Brock's bed, and it doesn't matter why. He's going to talk to Colt about this later in the week, and they'll have a lovely conversation, and Colt will give him some good advice, and whatever he needs to do will be decided. This is a problem for later in the week. Tonight, there's no problem because Phil's gonna sleep pressed neatly against Brock's side like he did last night.

The flight home, in first class, was nice, and Phil knows that instead of having a lovely time chatting with his son and his friend, he should be thinking about what he's going to say to Dean when he sees him again, but like he's been doing for a few days now, Phil convinces himself that that's a problem for another time.

Brock drives them home, and really Phil would rather invite Brock in, and spend even more time with him rather than let his friend go and thinking about Dean. He silently curses the fact that he doesn't have the luxury of putting off his awkward situation anymore. The time for dealing with his problems has arrived.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Boss. Be good for your papa, Seth." Brock seems reluctant as he drives away, and in all honesty, Phil's reluctant to let him go. All three of them had a good few days together. There's no solution to the problems, or more accurately, Phil's not certain that the solution he wants is the one that Brock wants, and that's even more problematic than the problems themselves.

It doesn't take long for Seth decide to head to bed, and really Phil isn't complaining about that. He's got work in the morning, and he's more tired than he's happy about. Tired, and stressed over the fact that he knows he needs to deal with Dean. The problems he'd been putting off are unavoidable now, and he needs to handle them sooner rather than later.

A knock on the door comes a little later than Phil's happier about answering. Seth's in bed, and really, he should be as well, but the knock sounds again, more urgently this time. Wirth a sigh, Phil answers the door.

"Hey." Dean looks tired. His eyes are dark, and downcast. "We need to talk." Dean doesn't look at him, doesn't meet Phil's eyes, his lips are pursed. He looks uncomfortable, and the whole thing makes Phil remember more sharply how comfortable he'd been with Brock.

"Do we?" Phil smothers a yawn behind his hand, and Dean looks sharply annoyed. He meets Phil's eyes.

"You left me in New York." Dean's fist clenches awkwardly, his posture changing to something harsher.

"You were drunk, and ignored me the whole time I was there." Phil yawns once more. "So, did you fuck up any more?" Dean looks more annoyed by how flippant Phil's being, and really Phil can't fault him on that. He is being flippant, but really he can't bring himself to take this more seriously.

"You're fucking that fighter, aren't you?" Dean snaps, glaring at Phil. He looks angry and dangerous, and in the pit of Phil's stomach an old familiar sensation springs to life.

"No." Phil yawns, and shakes his head. "He's my friend." He's trying to sound calm, but he's more on edge, more on alert, more aware of the fact that Seth is far too close to this.

"You fuck your friends?" Dean snarls, and Phil recognises the heaviness in this situation. There's a tension in the air, something that he remembers from Jeff, that tension that used to come before a beating. He can only hope Dean's a better alpha than Jeff was.

"Dean." Phil fill says his name softly, and tries to keep Dean from letting the tension consume him. Dean blinks slowly, staring at Phil. "Dean, I don't think we need to talk. I think we need to call this off."

"You're breaking up with me?" Dean shakes his head, and Phil hesitates for a moment. Dean genuinely looks horrified, and for a second Phil feels terrible to be thinking about this. "We've-"

"Dean, I don't think we're good for each other." Phil rubs his eyes, and yawns again. "You're not good for me. That's the most important thing. You don't make me happy, no matter how hot I think you are, you're not good for me." A very blunt, very honest explanation, that Phil hopes won't result in any bruises.

"You're dumping me for that hulking idiot." Dean laughs, and shakes his head. "You know what?" Dean reaches out, and grips Phil's collar, pulling him closer. Phil expects there to be alcohol on Dean's breathe but there's not, and his shock must show because for a split second Dean looks guilty.

"Dean." Phil's fingers scramble over Dean's. "Lemme go." He whispers it softly, but Dean doesn't seem to hear him.

"I fucked some omega on Sunday night, and a different one on Monday…You're a great piece of tail, but you're nothing more than that, Phil." Dean presses a harsh kiss ot Phil's lips, and pushes Phil from him. He stalks down the corridor, and Phil makes sure that Dean's gone before he closes the door. He might be shaking, but he feels relieved, like half his problems are dealt with.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Lovergyul, takers dark lover, and Rebellecherry.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 _I'm hoping to finish this before I start my exams so... next update 2017/05/27_


	24. Interlude: 05

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Dean Ambrose/CM Punk), Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

"It was Becky, wasn't it?" The omega from the morning's record is at the bar, and Dean can't quite keep his eyes from her. She's a beautiful omega. A wonderful smile, brilliant eyes, hair like fire, and a body to die for. She's everything that Dean usually goes for, and he doesn't try to stop himself from hitting on her. He's sure Tom'll be pissed if he sees him, and he knows that as soon as he stops to think about what he's doing he'll be pissed with himself, but right now he doesn't care. Right now, Becky is laughing at his jokes, and making her own. Right now, Tom is who knows where, but probably with Corey. Right now, Dean is slipping an arm around Becky's waist, and leading her towards the elevators. Right now, everything is going according to plan.

"Have you and the Whiskey Omega split up then?" There's a slight slur combined with the thick accent that is her voice, and for a moment Dean wonders if he's got one too.

"I've no clue, to be honest." Dean tells her, and she looks at him in confusion. "You wanna hear the story?" He asks her, and Becky looks at him, all hair and eyes and compassion, but she laughs and shakes her head.

"If I hear the story I'll spend the night patting your back, and being supportive." Dean nods awkwardly, and leans in for a kiss that she turns away from. "Pa always say I was too damned supportive. Tell me the fucking story."

So, he does. He spills the whole story, every mistake, every fuck-up, all the miscalculations, all the spikes of jealousy and possessiveness, and Becky watches him with an unimpressed look. She doesn't butt in or offer her opinion, instead she just listens, and when Dena finally stops talking she shakes her head, and orders a pot of coffee from room service.

"You need to break up with him." She says once she's poured two cups of coffee from the pot that's just been delivered.

"I don't want to." Dean mutters. He doesn't want to break up with Phil. Phil is his, and Dean doesn't want to lose that, but he has the terrible feeling that Becky is right. She raises an eyebrow, and sips at her coffee.

"You're not going to magically not be shite for him, you know?" She laughs, and Deana scowls at her. "What? No point in looking at me like that, we both know you're no good for him."

"I could be." Dean grabs the other cup of coffee, and reconsiders the gulp he's planned on taking when he realises how hot the cup is.

"Aye right." Becky rolls her eyes and laughs at him. "You're no fucking good for him, and even I, who just met you, knows that."

"You listen to the podcast, you know more about me than a perfect stranger." Dean sips at his coffee carefully, and Becky nods absently.

"Maybe…maybe." She toes her shoes off, and tucks her legs under herself. "But I only know what you tell the public, and even then, I've no evidence that it's the truth."

"It's not _not_ the truth." Dean smiles at her. She really is a beautiful omega. He's not certain he'd say she was more or less beautiful than Phil, he'd certainly put them on a par with one another, but she's beautiful in a different way. There's a fragility to Phil that Becky completely lacks.

"I've only got your word for that." She laughs and tops up her coffee cup. "You know he's gonna end up with the cage fighter, right? I mean even from what you said this alpha's the one who's going to look after him the way he needs it. He's done the bad alpha shit before, and ended up with a divorce and a kid for his troubles. He needs someone who's going to take care of him." Dean winces, and Becky looks mildly sympathetic. "Sorry, but you know I'm right."

"Doesn't mean I like it." Dean's scowling once more, and Becky smiles at him. She's got a great smile. "Am I getting the fan-omega fuck I was hoping for or not?" The bluntness of the question makes Becky bark a deep, rich laugh that brings a smile to Dean's face.

"Hell no." She shakes her head, and reaches into her jeans pocket, pulling out a packet of cigarettes. "You mind if I hang out the window?" She asks, and Dean holds an expectant hand out to her. He doesn't recognise the brand, but he's more than willing to try Irish cigarettes.

"So, you over in the US for a reason other than seeing me and Tom?" Dean bums her lighter and takes a deep draw of smoke. Its flavour is different to his regular brand, sharper somehow, with an edge of something new and interesting.

"Yeah. I was giving a talk on Omega's reproductive rights. I'm a journalist back home. Becky Lynch, if the full name means anything." She flashes him a quick smile, and blows a smoke ring into the night's sky.

"The name does mean something actually." Dean's used a few of her articles on abortion rights, and various Catholic Church inclined Irish scandals on the show. She's a damn fine reporter, and there's a little part of him that wants to ask her to do a proper interview now that he knows who she is. Her smile takes on an indulgent edge, and he nudges her shoulder lightly. "You could have told me you were famous."

"C'mon! Not one of us is famous!" She laughs again, and Dean can feel a stupid little smile taking up residence on his lips. "You ask anyone on the street who the hell any of us are they'll look at you blankly. We're only famous in our circle, and it's a bloody small circle."

"I guess." Dean takes another draw, and stares out over the city. "You think I should leave him alone too, huh?"

"I do." She answers easily, and Dean nods. Tom had told him the same thing last night. He'd said he'd spoken to Phil before Dean woke up from his alcohol induced nap, and that Phil had seemed resigned. Tom told him that if Dean apologies Phil will forgive him, but if Dean apologises Tom won't. Tom loves Dean as a dear friend, but Tom knows that Dean's just going to hurt Phil. They're not compatible, and Dean's only going to hurt Phil because Phil will let him. If he thinks about it, Dean knows that Tom's right. He knows that he and Phil aren't meant to be together. They're not quite right for each other, like a pair of shoes that you buy too early in the day, so they fit then, but by the afternoon your feet are pinched, and the longer you wear them the worse it gets. The longer Dean stays with Phil the worse for each other they'll get. He needs to call it quits as soon as possible, not just for Phil's sake, but for his own.

"I don't want to leave him alone though." Dean rubs a hand over his face, and Becky glances over at him.

"What you want doesn't fucking matter." She snaps. Dean straightens, feeling horribly scolded. "What you want is bullshit. You're a damaged little kid when it comes to relationships, aren't you?" She's not looking at him, and Dean is suddenly horribly grateful for that. "You've never had one where you were being relied on, and that's what he needs."

"I…" Dean starts, but he can't think of a valid ending to that sentence. Becky's watching him, her face perfectly blank, and he withers beneath her gaze. "He's not going to fall into Brock's arms though, even if he should…he's-"

"Not your problem, Dean." She stubs her cigarette butt out on the windowsill, and rests her hand on his arm. "You're not his friend, you're never going to be. What you are is a mistake. An anomaly that he shouldn't have messed with, but he was feeling nostalgic, or thought you were hot, or some other stupid reason, when he knows where he should be."

"How the fuck do you know that?" Dean mutters, and rubs his hand over his face. His cigarette is almost all gone, a tiny smouldering sliver of tobacco left.

"I'm a journalist, dumb-dumb. I did my homework." She laughs, and Dean stubs out his cigarette. He's feeling stupid, and awkwardly uncomfortable. "I spoke to Tom mostly. He looked like he needed to vent, and Corey offered his two cents, and now I've listened to your side of the story…I could track down Phil, but honestly at this stage I think I've done enough information gathering to comment on this situation."

"And your comments are?" Dean rests his head against the window frame, watching the night breeze rustle though Becky's soft curls. She really is a very beautiful omega.

"Break up with him, and make him never want you back. He's made the same mistake twice now, make sure he never makes it again." She frowns, a deep sorrow in her eyes. "It's not fair, but he reminds me so much of so many omegas I've seen before. The sort who don't realise that nice things can be theirs too, if only they'd let them. They're so used shit, that when there's a chance for sugar they've no idea what to do with it."

"I don't want to hurt him." Dean's never meant anything more than he means that comment, but all Becky does is laugh at him coolly, then level him with a sad smile.

"Trust me when I tell you it's too late for that, you already have."

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Loverguyl, takers dark lover, and Guest.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 _Next update 2017/06/03_


	25. Chapter 20

_Warnings: OmegaVerse, Pre-Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Profanity._

* * *

"Pie me, and take your break." Colt flags Phil over to his spot on the counter, and glowers at him.

"What's up?" Phil comes over, and sets a plate of pie down in front of Colt. "You look... _pissy_." Phil gestures vaguely at Colt and offers him a half smile. Colt raises an eyebrow and stabs his pie.

"You are a menace to my very personal society." Colt sets his fork down. "Coffee?" Phil gives him a cup of coffee, and scours his mind for what he's done to upset Colt, but draws a blank.

"Gimme a minute, and I'll come sit with you." Phil offers Colt a slight smile. He's not idea what he could have done to annoy Colt, but it must have been something big.

"So, you stayed with the Garbage Man instead of Dean." Colt's demolished his pie in the few minutes it took Phil to get himself a cup of coffee and a slice of pie for himself.

"Only a few nights. Who the fuck told you?" Phil gestures with his fork wildly. Colt levels him with an unimpressed scowl, and bats the fork away.

"Brock, obviously." He steals a bite of Phil's pie, and smirks at him. Any fight that had been in Phil dies. He's not sure how he feels knowing that Brock was talking to Colt, especially as he doesn't know what exactly they'd talked about. He can guess, but his guesses will probably be wrong. "Oh, don't look so worried, he doesn't have it in him to say anything mean about your dumb ass." Colt laughs at him, and Phil breaks eye contact with him.

"Dean and I broke up last night, so does that make what you and Brock were talking about more or less awkward?" Phil absently pokes at his pie, and pushes it towards Colt. Colt shoves the plate back over to him.

"Eat your fucking pie. Who did the dumping?" Colt's annoyance has vanished, and Phil's thrown even more onto to the back foot. He really wants to know what Colt and Brock have been talking about, because him being single has made it easier somehow.

"Dean, kind of at least…it was… _unpleasant_ , but honestly, I'm happy it's over. Dating him was a bad idea." Phil smiles slightly at Colt, and feels oddly lighter.

"And now, you're once more a strong, independent, single omega who don't need no alpha?" Colt laughs, and downs his coffee. "So, you and Brock? What the hell is going on there?"

"Nothing… _yet_." Phil can feel a lazy little smirk stretching his lips, and Colt raises an eyebrow at him. "Something's gonna happen, but not for a while. Neither one of us is ready for that, but it's gonna happen, I think at least."

"You've changed your tune on the Brock front. What happened?" Colt settles more comfortably on his seat, watching Phil carefully.

"We had a nice few days away. He's good for me, and I'm sick of alphas who aren't. Even if it we never become more than friends, Brock is good for me, and I'm good for him, and…" Phil trails off, and rubs his eyes. "I'm not wearing any make-up."

"You're not." Colt sounds slightly confused, and Phil laughs softly. He's thinking of Brock commenting on him wearing make-up for Dean. "The fact you've got your glasses on is more of a shock, but you're not wearing make-up too. Any reason this comes as a surprise?"

"Brock mentioned to me that I'd only started wearing make-up when I was dating Dean." Phil pushes his glasses back up again, and honestly, he'd forgotten he was wearing his glasses until Colt pointed it out to him.

"Well, we both know why that was." Colt looks at him, the kind of quietly judgemental look that Phil's very used to from his friend. Colt's not good at being actually judgemental, but he does pull off the look super well.

"Yeah, yeah. I made a bad choice, but surely we're used to me making bad choices by now." Phil laughs, and lightly kicks Colt's ankle.

"True, true. So! Are we pursuing Brock properly, or are we going to just wait and see?" Colt kicks him back, and swipes a forkful of Phil's pie.

"Brock isn't ready for a relationship, and in all honesty, I don't think I am…or if I am it's with Brock, so I'll have to wait anyway. Jesus, I was so worried about this shit the other day, but now it's just like _bam_! I know what I'm supposed to be doing and who I should be doing it with." Phil laughs, and Colt shakes his head absently.

"Good, I think… I was worried that maybe I'd not have good advice for you, but apparently, it's me that should be asking you for it." Colt laughs, and shakes his head. "Me and Cena are…well, we're annoyingly good. I'm not sure what the fuck is going on."

"Good is good though! Can you not just let this be good? Oh god…they're gonna be gym buddies, and wanna go double dating." At that Colt looks panicked, and Phil laughs at him. "C'mon. Brock won't be ready for double dating for a while."

"Oh good." Colt mutters, and rubs his face. "I'm not ready for double dating either…I'm not sure I'm ready for single dating." Phil shakes his head at his friend, and reaches over the table to snag Colt's hands giving them a light squeeze, before indicating that he should start spilling the beans so Phil can offer his advice on the situation.

"Evening, Garbage Man." Phil doesn't turn around when he hears Brock approaching the closet where the cleaning supplies are stored.

"Evening, Boss." Brock chuckles, and reaches over Phil's head to collect several garbage bags. "You seem very chipper this evening."

"I am! I had a visit from Colt this afternoon, and last night I broke up with Dean." He'd not entirely meant to blurt that out, and Brock looks slightly shocked as he stares at Phil.

"Are you okay?" Brock's fingers twitch slightly, and Phil laughs softly at him. He looks so concerned, but there's a hopeful light in his eyes.

"I'm good. It was a long time coming, really. Honestly, I made a mistake when it comes to him." Phil laughs again, and grins at Brock. He really is feeling more aware of how stupid his relationship with Dean had been all along. He shouldn't have been with Dean in the first place, it should have been nothing more than a one-night-stand.

"You sure you're okay, Phil?" Brock takes a single step closer, his expression awkwardly kind, and once more Phil can only smile at him. With Brock is where he should be, but Brock isn't ready for that yet, so gently guiding the huge alpha into the right place mentally is Phil's new task. A task he's looking forward to, a task that starts tonight.

"I'm a lot better, Garbage Man. Now, we've got work to do." Phil closes the door on the cleaning supplies, and makes a start on cleaning the offices.

"Boss." Brock says the nickname about an hour into cleaning the offices in a hushed, and worried tone. He's fussing with one of the garbage bags when Phil looks up at him, fussing and looking awkward. "Boss, we need to talk about what happened over the weekend." He sighs, and Phil rests a hand on Brock's lightly.

"Garbage Man, it's okay." Brock's staring at Phil's hand nervously, and Phil guides his face towards his own. "I don't want anything to change too fast. I want us to move forward together, and to do that I think we both need to move slow." Phil squeezes Brock's fingers lightly, giving him a gently encouraging smile.

"You're sure?" Brock twists his hand, and laces his fingers with Phil's. A silly, little smile blossoms on his lips. Phil nods, and Brock raises their joined hands to his lips to press a kiss to the back of Phil's hand. "Okay. Slow though, right?"

"Like tortoises." Phil laughs softly, and Brock nods cheerfully. "Right, we've got an office to finish cleaning." Phil slips his hand from Brock's and lightly slaps his shoulder.

"That we do." Brock gets back to work, a little smile on his face, and a skip in his step.

After finishing off the offices, Brock gives Phil a ride home, their conversation as easy as it ever is, but Phil thinks that there's something a little different between them. He's sure that there's something _more_ between them, something that feels comfortably familiar. He half wants to invite Brock up to his apartment, but he decides against it solely because of how tired Brock looks.

"See you tomorrow." Phil leans over the console, and gives Brock a tight hug, that Brock returns with as much fervour.

"Yeah, of course." Brock lets go easily, a smile on his face. A sense of safety that Phil's always thought boring fills him, but the boredom he's always associated with it is absent. He's incredibly comfortable in that moment, and he wonders if perhaps he needed to be shown how good safe could be before he accepted it in his life. "Oh! I was talking Colt's other half earlier. He wants to know if we want to dinner on Saturday night? He says that Xavier's family are coming too. John's workout buddies with Big E, Xavier's dad, and they decided that we should all get together."

"Oh? A triple date? Sounds good to me. The kids know?" This shouldn't seem so normal, but it does, and whilst Brock looks a little nervous he's not backing down, or running from what is a very much committed couple activity. He might be uncertain about being in a relationship, but it seems for Phil Brock's willing to try. It's nice having an alpha try for him for a change. He's spent so long trying for the alphas in his life, that having one who's trying for him is such a delight.

"I think so. I'll ask him, and let you know tomorrow. Get a good sleep, Boss." Brock very timidly touches Phil's cheek, a nervous smile on his lips. Phil turns to press a kiss to Brock's hand, a brilliant smile on his lips.

"You too, Garbage Man." Phil gets out of the car, and waves goodbye to the dorkily grinning Brock. He's slightly nervous about bumping into Dean, but honestly, he thinks he'd be able to deal with it okay. He thinks that Dean suddenly showing up wouldn't have that much control over him and his mood, but still he's glad that he makes it up to his apartment without meeting him.

"Hey Papa." Seth's sitting on the couch with his computer when Phil gets home that evening. "You have a good day at work?"

"It was alright." Phil ruffles Seth's hair, and heads towards the kitchen. "You want some tea?" He throws a teabag into his cup, and flicks the kettle on.

"Yeah, thanks." Seth comes over, and takes a seat at the kitchen table.

"You have a nice day at school?" Phil settles in the chair opposite, and offers his son a smile. "Is Xavier good?"

"Uh-huh. I had a great day. Xavi's good." Seth rests his chin on his fist. "Papa?" Phil makes a soft hmm-ing noise. Seth looks at him thoughtfully, and then sighs softly. "I saw Dean."

"Oh? We broke up last night-"

"Oh! Well that explains why he was with some other omega." Seth laughs, and Phil honestly doesn't care. Dean can have already moved on, he can have a new omega every night from now on. Phil's moved on too. He's moved onto being a good friend, because he's not quite ready to be more, and the alpha he'd like to be more with isn't ready to have more either. So, for now, Phil's a pair with his son, and for now, he's perfectly happy with that.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **Loverguyl, takers dark lover, and agd888.**_

 _If you'd like to see your handle in bold italics please do **review**_ **,** _and you can!_

 _Last update 2017/06/10_


	26. Chapter 21

Warnings: OmegaVerse, Slash (Brock Lesnar/CM Punk), Fluff.

* * *

"I was talking to Cena this morning." Brock says It casually, and that somehow sets Phil's nerves on edge. He can't really say why, but it does. Brock is usually casual, but Phil's been stupidly on edge since Wednesday. Not bad on edge, just keenly aware of everything Brock does and says. Even when they're not together, thoughts of Brock will trickle into Phil's mind. Memories of Brock's hands on him, or the sound of Brock's heart under his ear. The sort of silly, little things that always affect Phil when he's in love. He's long given up on denying his feelings. He's in love with Brock, and he hopes that Brock feels somewhat the same. He hopes that taking it slow doesn't mean that Brock isn't taking it seriously.

"Oh? What about?" He doesn't look up from cleaning a desk, and Brock nudges his shoulder with his own lightly. Phil glances up at him, and Brock offers him a reassuring smile, the sort of smile that wants to set Phil's mind at ease.

"He was saying that Colt told him you were putting in for a promotion at the diner." There's no judgement in Brock's tone, just quiet support and blatant optimism.

"Yeah…I am. It's nothing I've not done elsewhere, and it'd be more money. I'd be an idiot to not try for it." Phil straightens up from cleaning, and adjusts his ponytail. "More money means I could actually save for a change, maybe get a college fund for Seth started."

"And you could pack this in, spend some more time with him too." A slightly, nervous smile spreads over Brock's lips, that falls away at the sound of Phil's harsh laugh.

"If I wanna save any money I can't afford to quit here. It wouldn't be that much of a raise, you know." Phil shakes his head, and sighs. "God, if it was a good raise." Another shake of his head, and Phil starts cleaning another desk. "With enough money, I'd get my high school diploma. Then, I'd get some sort of management qualification, something to make people take me seriously, you know?"

"Seriously about what?" Phil had been expecting judgement, mocking maybe in Brock's voice, but instead it's soft, and gently coaxing. As ever, Brock is supportive in exactly the way Phil's always needed, but never had from anyone but Colt.

"I warn you, it's silly, but it's my dream to have my own place. I know a diner isn't much, but I've worked in them for years, and I know how they work." Phil turns to look earnestly at Brock, trying to impart just how important this is to him to the huge alpha. "But, I know that I don't have the money or the qualifications to inspire anyone to give me a loan."

"I cou-"

"Shut up." Phil snaps before Brock finishes that sentence. He knows damn well that Brock was about to offer to help him out in a way that is _far_ too big. There's no way Phil will let Brock, or anyone else, help him achieve his dream by helping out that much. He wants to get his own diner through his own hard work, not through a handout. If that means his dream goes unfulfilled, then so be it, because he wants to get there on his own. Sacrificing his dream for Seth is a simple task. His son comes first. He'd known that's how it would be from the very moment he'd found out he was pregnant. From that moment, his focus was on his son, and it's not shifted from then.

"Shutting up." Brock frowns softly. "But, don't give up on yourself, Boss. One day, more people than me are gonna call you that." The expression on Brock's face looks like one he wears in the cage. Hard, and determined. Just as it does in the cage, it inspires a spark of excitement in Phil.

"Yeah. Damn right they are." Phil nods, a grin on his face. "And the first step is getting this promotion."

"I'd wish you luck, but you know." Brock grins back, and Phil taps his shoulder lightly, a laugh spilling from his lips. "Big E says you omegas are probably heading over to Colt and John's early tomorrow."

"You talk to all the partners of our friends, huh?" Phil chuckles, and Brock's ears turn crimson. " But, yeah, I said I'd be there bout two-ish. Although, if I know my son, he'll be at Xavier's, so he'll be coming with Kofi and Big E." Phil pauses in his work once more to look over at Brock again. "Do you think it's weird?"

"Do I think what's weird?" Brock's gone back to emptying the trash, and spares a quick glance at Phil before going back to work.

"How much time Seth spends with Xavier? He doesn't seem interested in alphas at all, and spends all his time with one friend." Phil moves on to the next desk.

"He's a kid, Phil. He doesn't need to be interested in alphas." Brock doesn't look up from his work as he talks, and that annoys Phil for no reason he can full justify to himself.

"He's had his first heat though. According to society, he's not a kid anymore." Phil sighs, and throws his cleaning cloth at Brock's chest, wanting the alpha to pay attention to him and not the garbage.

"He's a kid. He doesn't need to be interested in anyone, no matter what society says, and would it be a problem if he wasn't interested in alphas?" Brock catches the cloth, and tosses it back to Phil with an odd look on his face.

"Honestly? I don't know. I don't think so, but I don't know." Phil perches on the edge of the last desk in the office, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on Brock.

"Well, it's not a problem yet, is it? If he is or isn't gamma is something he'll tell you when he's ready." Brock empties the last trash can, and comes over to Phil. His hand gently tucks Phil's hair behind his ear. "Don't be borrowing trouble from a tomorrow that isn't even guaranteed."

"Yeah. Yeah. You're right." Phil closes his eyes as Brock's huge hand cups his cheek. "I know we're taking this slow, but…" Phil trails off, and Brock's thumb brushes over his lips.

"Office romance?" Brock laughs softly, and Phil opens his eyes, laughing too. "You sure?" Phil leans forward, and presses his lips to Brock's. It's a fleeting moment of contact that leaves Brock starting at him wide-eyed and dazed.

"Sorry. I agreed to slow." Instantly Phil feels terrible. He'd agreed to slow, he'd agreed to not rushing Brock. They've only been dancing around each other for two days and he's already taken a kiss. Brock's hand slides around his head, his fingers tangle in Phil's hair, and before thoughts can fully form, Brock kisses him. Slow moving fingers in his hair, a tongue that licks over Phil's lips, then caresses against his own. Tentative, coaxing, enticing, timid, but promising, so very promising. Brock's kiss is laden with promise. He breaks it slowly, pulling away as much as Phil will let him. Phil's legs have wrapped around Brock's hips, his hands are clinging to his shoulders. Every inch of Phil is horribly reluctant to let Brock go. "I…gimme a minute." Phil leans forward, and rests his head against Brock's broad, solid chest.

"As many as you need, Boss." There's a tentativeness in Brock's voice that makes Phil feel like he's taking advantage of him. He's painfully torn between pulling away and staying pressed against Brock as he is. "God, you scare me." He mutters into Phil's hair.

"Hmm?" Phil clamps his eyes tightly against the fear that had sparked in him at those muttered words.

"You scare me, Phil." Brock breathes deeply, and then relaxes. His grip around Phil's waist tightens a little though. "My whole life I've focussed on my dreams, on being the best I can, and then you show up." Brock squeezes him tightly for a moment. "You've suffered, been hurt so much, and I'm so afraid that I'll hurt you too. I wanna move slow to keep you safe, so I can learn to trust myself with you."

"I trust you with me, Brock." Phil says it softly, but he knows Brock heard him. The kiss to his hair confirms that.

"And I trust you with me. I'm not…relationships, _good_ relationships are things I've only ever seen, so I trust you to show me what I need to do." Brock pulls away again, and this time Phil lets him go, if only because they should get back to work.

"I've never been in a good relationship, but so long as we trust each other, it'll be fine." Phil hops down from the desk, and winks at Brock. "You know, I wasn't expecting conversations about emotions with you."

"Why not? I have emotions. Just because I beat the shit out of other alphas, doesn't mean I can't show my emotions to the omega in my life." Brock laughs, and collects up the cleaning supplies, and loads them back into the cart.

"I guess." Phil shakes his head, and press the call button for the elevator. "How serious is this to you, Brock?" Brock looks confused by the question, and instead of offering a proper answer, he shrugs and changes the subject.

In the Brock's car, just before Phil gets out Brock lightly catches hold of his wrist, a very familiar nervous look on his face as he twines their fingers together.

"I don't know how serious any of this is. I know how serious I want it to be, but everything there is up to you." Brock is staring down at their entwined fingers, a slight smile on his lips.

"Nothing in this is just up to one of us, Brock." Phil squeezes Brock's fingers, drawing his attention to Phil's face. "We're in this together."

"Ah." Brock sighs in mock exasperation, and grins at Phil. "Can I pull the alpha not talking about their feeling card for a few hours till I sort this out then?" A bark of laughter escapes Phil, and he nods enthusiastically.

"For sure. I need to sort it out myself, to be honest. As emotionally stable as omegas seem nine times out of ten we only want to talk about feelings because we've no idea what we're actually feeling in the first place." Phil grins over at Brock, and gets an amused laugh from the huge alpha.

"Really? That's good to know." Brock presses a quick kiss to the back of Phil's hand, and lets him go. "Have some sweet dreams, Boss."

"You too, Garbage Man." Phil gets out of the car, and heads towards his door, pausing there to wave goodbye to Brock. That night, Phil manages to fall asleep quickly for a change to the memory of Brock's kiss. His dreams are as sweet as Brock had wished them to be, and Phil attributes that entirely to his memories.

"Papa! Brock's here." On Saturday morning, so early that they're both still wearing their pyjamas, Seth answers a tentative knock at the door, and makes this slightly bewildered comment. He turns to look at Phil, stepping to side so Phil can see Brock standing there.

"Hey." Brock sounds awkwardly nervous, but is smiling at Phil. "I was just…sorry, I can't come up some garbage spiel, so, you're getting the truth. I missed you guys, and have brought you breakfast. Can I come in?" Phil waves Brock in, biting back the silly thought that Brock had been hovering on the threshold like a vampire awaiting an invitation in. His presence is unexpected, but far from unwelcome, and Phil's not going to object to free breakfast.

"You brought doughnuts? Sweet!" Seth takes the box Brock had been holding up, and bounds over to the table. "I can't even remember the last time we had doughnuts for breakfast."

"You missed us? I saw you last night." Phil gets to his feet, and wanders over to the table. Brock's already shut the door, and hung his coat up. This feels entirely too comfortable, and Phil's slightly panicked at how easily Seth's accepted Brock's presence. Seth is never this comfortable with alphas in the apartment, but Seth really does seem to like Brock.

"Yeah, but that was hours ago, Boss." Brock's flicked on the coffee maker, and poured Seth a glass of orange juice. He looks comfortable in Phil's cramped little kitchen, like this is exactly where he should be, and that thought doesn't fill Phil with the anxiety he'd expected. Instead, he's wondering where Brock stays when he's in Chicago. He's wondering how much of a couple do they have to be before Phil can invite Brock to stay with them, because he thinks that Brock will fit into this cramped little apartment with no problems at all.

"Bacon maple? These from Papa's diner?" Seth's opened the box, and is considering his first doughnut carefully. Inside the box there are a vast selection of delicious looking doughnuts, that Phil knows are going to be demolished by the three of them.

"They are." Phil answers for Brock. He recognises the doughnuts easily.

"Save me at least one of the bacon maple ones." Brock sets a cup of coffee down in front of Phil, and leans against the counter. "You need another chair." Brock laughs, and gestures to the fact that there's only two chairs around the table right then. Technically, there are four chairs for the table, but with only two of them in the apartment, usually one ends up in Seth's room, and the other in Phil's.

"I'll get one." Seth springs to his feet and scampers off to his room, dragging the chair back quickly. "So, you hanging out all day, Brock? I'm gonna head to Xavi's in a little bit to do some homework, but I'm sure Papa would like the company. Right, Papa? Oh! We're having dinner at Uncle Colt's place tonight! You should totally come! Shouldn't he, Papa?" Seth's beaming at Phil, looking incredibly excited at the idea of Brock coming to dinner.

"Seth, he's already invited." Phil takes a bite of the doughnut he'd picked, and tries to hold back a laugh at the ecstatic expression that crosses Seth's face.

"Oh! Well, that's good then." Seth starts in on his second doughnut, and Phil doesn't quite have the heart to tell him to slow down. They are good, and most days Seth's too picky at breakfast time to eat. So, letting him scarf down doughnuts once in a blue moon isn't too bad, and tomorrow Charlotte will put him through his paces. An easy conversation about what homework Seth's going to be doing at Xavier's starts up, and lasts until Seth's heading out the door to his friend's house. He leaves with an excited _goodbye_ , and musings on what games they'll be playing after dinner. It's a tradition to play silly party games after dinner when they visit Colt, and winning in these games is something Seth is always determined to do.

"So…" Phil starts, but trails off without saying anything. He and Brock have moved to the couch, Phil sitting on one end, Brock on the other. There's a gap between them that Phil's not sure should be filled just yet.

"Yeah." Brock's staring at the wall in front of him, wringing his hands. "I should have asked before just showing up like that. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Phil moves a little closer, and rests his hand on Brock's broad shoulder. "It's nice having you over, and I'm happy to see you. Even Seth's happy to see you, and I can't think of any alpha Seth's happy, especially one I'm…" Phil trails off again, and sighs. "What are we, Brock?" Brock's eyebrows knit, and he looks slightly pained at that question.

"We're…I think we're in a relationship, _but_ we're taking it slow, right?" Brock looks over at Phil, his expression is horrifically earnest. "I don't wanna rush this in case I mess up. You don't deserve that, Boss." Brock reaches out, and takes a hold of Phil's hands. "I don't want to lose you as a friend, so we have to move slow so it all goes right."

"I know. I get it. And I one hundred percent agree, it's just…Brock, everything with this is serious to me. Very serious. Even now, even though we're moving slow, I'm sure that _this_ is it." Brock's looking away again, that pained expression back on his face. "I need to know how serious this is for you, okay?" He nods tightly, his lips pursed, and his eyebrows drawn. "It's a silly distinction, huh? What are we, are we serious." Phil laughs awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.

"I understand, Phil." Brock sounds mildly offended, like he's annoyed that Phil would feel the need to try to give him an easy way out like that. "Just lemme think about it, please?" Phil nods slightly, and silently hopes he's not pushing too much. It feels like he might be, like he might be wanting more from Brock than he can give right now, like he's moving too fast for the alpha, and it fills him with dread. He's certain that now he's accepted the safety he feels with Brock, it's the very thing he _needs_ from a partner. He's accepted that _Brock_ is the partner he needs.

"I should get dressed, but I've gotta shower first though. So, you know..." Phil gets to his feet, and wonders what Brock's going to do. He could stay, he could follow Phil into the bathroom, or he could leave. Three options, and Phil's not entirely sure which would be the best one for Brock to take. Brock stands, and rests his hand on Phil's shoulder.

"I'll leave you to it then. I'll see you later, right?" Brock sounds nervous, and Phil almost wants to laugh at him. There's no need for Brock to be nervous. Phil's not going to get mad at him, maybe a little disappointed that they're going to be spending the day apart, but they've a date of sorts arranged for tonight, so it's okay.

"Of course! I'll see you at Colt's." Phil steps away, and moves towards his bedroom.

"You're not walking there, are you? I was gonna offer you a ride…It's not safe out there at night, Boss." Brock's voice is dripping with concern, and he's come several steps closer to Phil.

"I told you. I'm heading over early to help with the cooking. It's safe enough in the afternoon, Garbage Man." Phil laughs, and Brock looks slightly relieved.

"Alright, but if you need me, you call, okay?" At that Brock's face flushes, and Phil chuckles softly at him. "I'll see you later." Brock closes the space between them, and gives Phil a warm hug. Phil presses a very light kiss to Brock's chest, and revels in the feeling of his arms around him.

"Cena says you and the Garbage Man are a thing." They're half-way through preparing the vegetables when Colt says that. Phil barely manages to stop himself from severing a finger in his surprise.

"Mostly." He mutters, sucking on his bloodied finger. Colt looks incredulously at him, and Phil rolls his eyes. "We're taking things slowly."

"Well, yes. You just broke up with bad idea number seven hundred and ninety-nine, and he's spent his entire adult life fucking models. Neither of you are ready for full-on relationship-dom." Colt laughs, and levels Phil with a look. "How serious is it?"

"I don't know." Phil mumbles around his still bleeding finger. "I know how serious it is for me, but for him is a mystery."

"Is he thinking on it, or do we need to get John-boy to earn his keep?" A sly, little smirk spreads over Colt's lips, and Phil wonders just how wrapped around his finger Colt has Cena at this stage in their relationship.

"He's thinking on it…god, I hope we come to the same conclusion." Phil pulls his finger from his mouth, and shakes his hand. "I really don't want him to be bad idea eight hundred."

"Me either." Colt grabs Phil's hand, and leads him over to the sink where he runs Phil's finger under the tap for a second, then dries it off with a paper towel, and puts a band-aid over the cut. "We seem to have settled on gym-rats, and your one better not mess our matching set of relationships up." Phil shakes his head at Colt's indignant ramble, and offers his friend a smile.

"Don't' worry, he won't. I trust him." Phil's comment seems to put Colt's annoyance to rest, because he merely nods tightly and returns to preparing dinner.

"Charades!" Cena announces once they've all eaten, and the last of the dishes have been cleared from the table. The foster kids cheer, and the terrible competitive edge Seth inherited from Phil sparkles in his eyes. It seems Xavier has his papa's competitive spark too, because he's already on his feet, tugging his parents to the lounge, muttering darkly about victory.

In the lounge, they've split into three groups, one on each of the three couches. Brock's hovering near Phil and Seth awkwardly, looking uncertain on where exactly to sit. Seth reaches out, and snags Brock's arm, tugging him to sit down on the other side of Seth from Phil.

"This is the winning team." Seth says loudly, and gestures to the three of them. "How are you at charades, Brock?" Seth asks Brock softly, and the huge alpha grins at him, then sits straighter, his before a fight smile spreading over his lips.

"We're gonna kick some a- butt." Brock caught himself before he said ass in front of Colt's foster kids, which earns him a grateful smile from both Colt and Cena.

"Ha! We're winning." Kofi smirks, and wraps his arms around his son's and his mate's shoulders. "We're the reigning charades champions in our family, and there's no way we're losing, right?" Big E nods sagely, and Xavier pokes his tongue out at Seth, which makes Seth gasp with mock indignation.

"No way! We've got the biggest team! So, we're winning!" The oldest of Colt's kids sounds incredibly confident, but the look on Cena's face says he's not confident in victory, and Phil knows that he's probably right to expect defeat. Colt's only competitive when it comes to card games, and their kids are too little to be of real use. The real competition is going to come from Xavier and his parents. Seth's already moved onto jokingly trash-talking his friend, utterly confident in his victory.

As the game gets underway, Seth's perched himself on the very edge of the sofa, leaving a weird gulf of space between Phil and Brock. A little time passes before Phil feels a soft touch against his shoulder, and glances over to Brock. The huge alpha has draped his arm over the back of the couch, and is lightly stroking Phil's skin, although his attention is unwaveringly focused on the game. It seems he'd just wanted a little connection to Phil. Without really thinking about it, Phil rests his hand on Brock's and smiles over at him. The huge alpha's ears turn crimson, and a shy, little smile spreads over his lips. When it's finally Seth's turn to act out something, Phil scoots closer to Brock, tucking his legs up under himself. Brock moves closer too, drawing him to his side, his arm comfortably wrapping around Phil's shoulders.

"I thought about it all last night, all today, and for me, it's very too." Brock whispers into Phil's ear, then he starts making guesses at what Seth's trying to act out. For a moment, Phil's stunned. He's happier than he's been in what feels like forever. His relationship with Brock is serious for them both, serious and slow, and filled with potential. Potential that Phil's certain will be fulfilled, because he's finally met his match. He's finally properly paired.

* * *

 _Many thanks to **moiself,** **Loverguyl, takers dark lover, and Iceprincess1987.**_

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